A man who killed a father-of-two by stabbing him outside an Oxford pub had been jailed for life — with an order to serve a minimum of 14 years.

At an earlier hearing, Christopher Philp, 26, of Halliday Hill, Northway, Oxford, admitted murdering former soldier Stephen Pinker, 43, of Witney, during a previous hearing.

Mr Pinker was killed outside the Corner House pub, in Hollow Way, Cowley, Oxford, in March, when his throat was slashed.

Efforts to stem the flow of blood from a jugular with beer mats failed.

Det Supt Rob Mason, who was leading the investigation into the murder, said: “This was a horrific and cowardly attack on a victim who was enjoying a quiet drink with friends and did nothing to provoke the attack.

“The prosecution maintained that Philp actually left the pub to go and get a knife, which we believe provides further evidence of the cowardice shown by this individual.”