The husband of businessman Guy Hedger has paid tribute to his partner, whose last hours were spent “full of terror, fear and pain”.

In a victim impact statement read to Winchester Crown Court, Mr Hedger’s husband, Simon Hedger-Cooper, 48, said that he was devastated at his death.

He said: “Guy was an intelligent, creative, caring and gentle man.

“Guy worked hard his whole adult life, he deserved what he had worked for, he deserved to enjoy the fruits of his labour and he deserved to still be with me today.

“Guy’s life was lived to the full, he worked hard and he played hard. He enjoyed sport, he was a talented artist who drew his inspiration from the sea and the places he had lived and worked.

“Although working for large corporations, Guy could never be called corporate.

“This is all in stark contrast to the final moments of Guy’s life, which were full of terror, fear and pain.

“No-one deserves to have their life ended in such an abrupt way. I pray that he is now at peace.

“The events of that evening have radically changed my life forever and are an experience from which I shall never recover.

“To lose the person you have loved and cared for over many years is devastating whenever that moment comes, but losing that person in these tragic circumstances, in front of you, in your own home, is horrific and makes the pain unbearable.

“A crime that cut his life short in the most violent and callous way. A crime that was fuelled solely and simply by greed.

“A thought that it is easier to take from someone else than to work hard, a thought that it is acceptable to murder to get what you want, a thought that life is cheap.”

He added that Mr Hedger would also be remembered for his work, which included designing a green heart sculpture outside the LV insurance building in Bournemouth.