A CHEF has been jailed for life after being convicted of the cold-blooded killing of a Bournemouth pub manager.

Garry Varley was told he would have to serve at least 18 years before he could be considered for parole.

The jury at Winchester Crown Court was unanimous in finding 39-year-old Varley guilty of assaulting Steven Galsworthy causing him actual bodily harm and murdering the 41-year-old a few months later.

During the 10-day trial they heard that Varley had bitten Mr Galsworthy while he was being ejected from the Lion's Head pub in Holdenhurst Road on February 28 last year.

He was charged with the assault on July 11 and after being released on bail he went back to the pub armed with a cook's knife and stabbed Mr Galsworthy three times.

Judge Michael Brodrick told Varley he would have jailed him for two-and-a-half years for the assault alone.

"I'm quite satisfied that matters festered and came to a head when you were arrested by the police on July 11 and finally charged with this offence," he said.

"There was a risk that you would lose your employment and perhaps your accommodation. That, coupled with drink, may well have led you to behave in a way you might not have behaved if sober."

Defence counsel Stewart Patterson said Varley, originally from Nottingham, had had an unhappy childhood and had apparently suffered from depression from an early age. He was an alcoholic and had been homeless.

After the case, Detective Chief Inspector John Crossland, the senior investigating officer in the case, described the murder as "brutal and cowardly".

He expressed his sympathy to Mr Galsworthy's family and friends, who attended the trial daily.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating a complaint over the apparent delay in charging Mr Varley with the original assault.