Paul Thrower, 46, pictured, died after two 18-year-olds hacked at him with a 4ft axe and stabbed him 10 times at a block of flats in Hayes, Middlesex

Three teenagers have been jailed for their part in a 'wicked and unnecessary' axe and knife attack on a drunken man in scenes reminiscent of the film The Shining.

Handyman Paul Thrower died after two 18-year-olds hacked at him with a 4ft long axe and stabbed him 10 times at a block of flats in Hayes, Middlesex, in February.

Zakariya Subeir and Kiro Halliburton claimed they acted in self defence when Mr Thrower became enraged at their behaviour towards his girlfriend, Geraldine Roberts.

But, following a trial, Halliburton, who delivered the fatal knife wound, was found guilty of murder and Subeir and an accomplice, Mahdi Osman, also 18, were convicted of manslaughter.

Halliburton will spend at least 16 years behind bars.

Subeir was sentenced to eight years in a young offenders' institution with an extended licence period of four years, and Osman was handed five-and-a-half years for his lesser role.

The court heard how the victim had been drinking and became very angry when his girlfriend Geraldine Roberts told him the youths swore, spat and threw a drink at her earlier that day.

When Mr Thrower confronted them, Subeir and Halliburton shut themselves into a bin chute on a first-floor communal balcony.

As the furious 46-year-old hammered with his fists on the glass partition, another member of their gang found an axe in a shed and Osman passed it up to Subeir, who had managed to get onto the roof of the adjoining porch.

Osman told the court he only handed over the weapon to help his friends barricade themselves into the balcony - not to attack Mr Thrower.

But when Mr Thrower smashed the reinforced glass and began to crawl through the gap, Subeir hit him twice on the head and once on the shoulder with the axe and Halliburton stabbed him repeatedly in the back with a knife.

Halliburton said he delivered the fatal stab to the chest after Mr Thrower grabbed the axe from Subeir, who then ran off.

He told jurors that Mr Thrower had the axe in one hand and him in the other and he did not know what else to do.

The victim emerged from the bin chute covered in blood, staggering, holding the axe before he collapsed and died from a stab to the heart.

18-year-old Kiro Halliburton (left), who delivered the fatal knife wound, has been jailed for 16 years for murder. Zakariya Subeir (right) will spend eight years in a young offenders' institution for manslaughter

Police have released a picture of the axe used in the attack, which left Mr Thrower covered in blood

As the defendants ran away, Ms Roberts chased after them. She was one of a number of residents who had called 999 to alert police who arrived within minutes.

Judge John Bevan told Halliburton: 'I accept Paul Thrower's behaviour was outlandish but he was provoked by you and others. I accept that his behaviour and that of Geraldine Roberts was inflammatory, drunken and pathetic.'

But he added: 'This was a wicked and unnecessary crime - a ranting, inebriate being no match for a knife and axe being wielded by young and fit teenagers.'

'The carrying of knives has become endemic among some teenagers in parts of London and it is assumed to aid power and respect to the carrier. That is a delusion. It is the resort of a coward.

Mahdi Osman, who handed the axe to the killers, was given a sentence of five-and-a-half years

'You are a dangerous young man, aggressive when carrying a knife and lacked the courage to tell anything like the truth about this.'

The judge went on to sentence Subeir to eight years in a young offenders' institution with an extended licence period of a further four years, and Osman to five-and-a-half years for his lesser role.

The court heard Subeir flew to Somalia, via Dubai, after the incident but came back about three weeks later and was arrested on the plane at Heathrow airport.

Halliburton shaved off his plaits and fled to Leeds in Yorkshire. When he was apprehended, he gave a false name. The red-handled lock knife he used to kill Mr Thrower has never been recovered.

Before the murder, all the defendants apart from Halliburton had been involved in an incident earlier that evening at The Great Western pub nearby.

They were asked to leave and while they were standing outside, a landlord said one of them threatened to 'shank or jook' him - street slang for stabbing.

In the years leading up to the murder, residents of St Dunstan's Close had complained about anti-social behaviour from groups of youths hanging around even though they did not live there.

The court heard that Halliburton had two previous convictions of possessing a knife or bladed weapon in 2012.

Subeir, of Uxbridge, Halliburton and Osman both of Hayes and the 17-year-old had all denied murder. The court heard that all the defendants had expressed remorse for killing Mr Thrower.

Mitigating for Halliburton, Andrew Hall QC said: 'He chose fight over flight and in seconds he made the wrong decision.'

Mr Thrower's sister Dawn said in a victim impact statement that the father of one was 'much loved' by the family.

She described how he was 'being bullied and victimised and he was doing his best and it got on top of him'.

CCTV from the night shows the gang fleeing the block of flats after the attack which killed Mr Thrower

The Old Bailey heard that two of the killers fled Middlesex after the attack, but they were later arrested

He eventually 'succumbed' to bullying because, she said, 'he was not prepared to put up with it and lost his life as a result'.

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Simon Deefholts said: 'Mr Thrower was undoubtedly angry that day and rushed to confront the youths who had verbally abused his partner.

'Two took refuge behind a door but it took some time for Mr Thrower to reach them and they could easily have made their escape across the open roof area behind them.

'Instead they were handed at least one potentially lethal weapon by their friend on the ground and barricaded a door, waiting until Mr Thrower burst through. CCTV shows them apparently calm and preparing for the attack.

'They immediately attacked him, causing devastating injuries.'