Man who beat girlfriend to death 'was paranoid she was cheating on him'

Jordan Matthews sentenced to life in prison, minimum term 18 years for murder of girlfriend. pic.twitter.com/F3g0zCrHTK

— ITV Wales News (@ITVWales) February 21, 2017

Matthews struck Miss Bi, who moved to the UK from China to study aged 15, with dozens of blows after seeing what he wrongly believed to be a message from the dating app Tinder on her phone.

Miss Bi, also 24, suffered 41 injuries including massive bruising and multiple fractures in the prolonged assault that started at 1.30am on August 19 last year at their flat in Llandaff, Cardiff, South Wales.

'Happy, outgoing and loyal' This is how family and friends will remember Xixi Bi https://t.co/JY5NaM4sIM pic.twitter.com/r27CHh1hmZ

— Radio Cardiff News (@RCLocalNews) February 17, 2017

At 8.30am she collapsed due to complications from her injuries, which included a broken jaw and ribs, and Matthews called 999.

Matthews, of Ely Road, Cardiff, who told police he was a black belt in karate but later admitted that was not true, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder.

But when doctors examined Miss Bi's body they found evidence of nine previous rib fractures and a healing jaw fracture - all inflicted by Matthews.

Bruises from the fresh injuries covered at least a third of her body and were so extensive one paramedic thought she had been dead for some time, the court heard.

A jury rejected his claim he had not intended to hurt Miss Bi and found him guilty of murder.

Sentencing him at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday, Mrs Justice Nicola Davies said the assault was the "tragic culmination" of a course of physical and verbal abuse over a number of months.

She said of Miss Bi's inability to speak out about what was happening to her, even while in hospital with injuries inflicted by Matthews: "Nothing better demonstrates the fear that you engendered in this educated and intelligent young woman than her inability to tell of your abusive conduct."

Mrs Justice Davies said Miss Bi was "no physical match" for Matthews and added: "You lied and lied again in order to attempt to exculpate yourself from the overwhelming evidence which was that during the early hours of August 19 2016 your relentlessly and remorselessly inflicted physical injury upon a defenceless young woman."

Mrs Justice Davies outlined the abusive relationship between Matthews and Miss Bi from when they met in April 2015, describing Miss Bi as "a generous and loving young woman".

"When you met Xixi you were unemployed," she said.

"She was the daughter of wealthy parents living in China.

"Xixi provided you with a home, clothing, she bought a car for you. You took what she gave."

Mrs Justice Davies described how as the months went on, friends and Xixi's brother, Zexun, saw her become quieter, thinner and more withdrawn and how neighbours heard Matthews shouting at her.

They told the court they heard him say things such as: "I don't want to do this, I've got to punish you for what you have done," and: "If you don't suck my dick I'm going to hit you."

Miss Bi was seen to have black eyes and was forced to resit a year of her course after missing deadlines.

Representing Matthews, Christopher Henley QC said Matthews was "sincerely sorry".

"He misses her, he loved her, but he accepts that the way he treated her was atrocious," he said.

He added that a statement from Matthews' mother said there had been "serious domestic violence" in his childhood.

Mr Bi said in a victim impact statement, read out in court, that his sister had been due to run their family's multimillion-pound company.

He said: "She was intelligent and had the whole world in front of her.

"All this taken from her, due to Jordan Matthews and his selfish and violent attack on my sister... the heart has been ripped out of our family."