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Internet stalker guilty of murder Web murderer given life sentence
(10 minutes later)
A man from Germany has been found guilty of stabbing a Nottingham student 86 times after becoming obsessed with his girlfriend and flying to the UK. A man from Germany has been jailed for life after being found guilty of stabbing a Nottingham student 86 times after stalking his girlfriend.
David Heiss, 21, from Limburg, became infatuated with 20-year-old Matthew Pyke's girlfriend Joanna Witton via a series of internet exchanges.David Heiss, 21, from Limburg, became infatuated with 20-year-old Matthew Pyke's girlfriend Joanna Witton via a series of internet exchanges.
Heiss, who denied the murder charge and said he was acting in self defence, was found guilty at Nottingham Crown Court.Heiss, who denied the murder charge and said he was acting in self defence, was found guilty at Nottingham Crown Court.
The court heard Mr Pyke did not survive the "savage" attack in September 2008. He was told he must serve a minimum of 18 years for the attack in 2008.
During the trial, the jury heard that on 18 September, 2008, Heiss flew from Frankfurt to Birmingham with a knife and made his way to the flat Matthew Pyke shared with his girlfriend Joanna Witton on North Sherwood Street in Nottingham.
Declarations of love
He waited until Miss Witton left for work the following morning and confronted Mr Pyke, originally from Stowmarket in Suffolk.
Heiss had claimed he was acting in self defence after Mr Pyke charged at him with a knife.
The court heard Miss Witton, who was originally from Selby in West Yorkshire, met Heiss through a website she ran with Mr Pyke.
Heiss spent six months pestering her with declarations of love and visited the couple twice in Nottingham before the attack.
He became infuriated when the couple, who conducted their entire social life online, blocked Heiss from their website, preventing him from sending further messages to Miss Witton.