Man found guilty of murdering model after Rossendale attack
Bhekisani Matabiswana has been found guilty of the murder of Luke Harden
Last updated 13th May 2026
A man has been found guilty of murdering a 37-year-old model following an attack in Rossendale.
Luke Harden died after being assaulted in the Stacksteads area in the early hours of 1 November last year, after leaving a Halloween party where he had been booked to DJ.
At Preston Crown Court, a jury found Bhekisani Matabiswana, 27, guilty of murder.
The court heard the pair had a brief interaction after leaving the event, before Luke was attacked while walking alone on Newchurch Road.
Matabiswana either punched and/or kicked him while he was on the ground before pretending he had found him injured in the street.
Instead of calling for an ambulance, Matabiswana used Luke’s phone to contact his family and friends, telling them he was lying on the floor.
A member of the public came across them and phoned an ambulance.
Matabiswana told paramedics he'd seen Luke fall and put him in the recovery position.
He was caught saying to himself “We shouldn’t have done this” on an officers bodycam, too.
Luke suffered swelling to the brain and back of the head; extensive facial bruising with cuts to the left lower eyelid and to the lips; patterned bruising to the left cheek; fractures to his nose, jaw and larynx; and bruising to the neck, arms and shoulder.
A post-mortem declared he died as a result of blunt force trauma to head and neck following an assault.
Matabiswana, of St James Street, Bacup, was arrested at Manchester Airport the next day while trying to board a flight to South Africa.
He is due to be sentenced on Monday 18 May.
"a frenzied and cowardly attack"
DI Pete MacDonald, from Lancashire Police, said: “Following a brief encounter with his victim, Matabiswana engaged in a frenzied and cowardly attack – continuing to attack Luke whilst he lay defenceless on the floor.
“He then made no effort to help Luke, instead choosing to contact him family and friends in a sordid and sinister bid to paint himself as the Good Samaritan who had simply come across an injured man on the pavement. He continued these callous lies to Luke’s distressed friends and family, as their loved one lay dying on the ground yards away from them.
“Throughout this case. Matabiswana has shown no remorse, making several efforts to evade justice. Firstly, by attempting to leave the scene before police arrived – later being heard to say ‘we shouldn’t have done this’. And then secondly by booking a flight to Johannesburg. Thankfully he never made that flight.
“Thankfully a jury had today held Matabiswana accountable for his actions by finding him guilty of Luke’s murder. I would like to thank them for their considered verdicts.
“I would also like to thank our Counsel, the CPS and all those officers and police staff who have worked around the clock to ensure Luke’s loved ones got the justice they understandably craved.”