A 28-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 'brutal' murder of his brother-in-law whom he stabbed to death in Headington earlier this year.

Egidio Da Silva Alves, 28, of The Slade, was sentenced to life imprisonment and minimum of 20 years and ten months after pleading guilty to the murder of Domingos Ramalho - known as Adomi.

The court heard that Da Silva Alves blamed Mr Ramalho and his wife Ana-Maria De Deus in a long-running family feud that had seen him lose his son, his wife - Ms De Deus' sister - and his job.

On February 13, Da Silva Alves was playing on the slot machines in Betfred in London Road, when Mr Ramalho also entered the shop by coincidence.

The pair exchanged words for 30 seconds before Da Silva Alves left the shop and went to a hardware store nearby and bought a kitchen knife.

He returned to the shop and after another brief conversation with Mr Ramalho, went to the toilet and took the packaging off the knife.

Mr Ramalho had left the shop and Da Silva Alves - after calling a friend asking him to 'look after my son when he grows up' and telling him 'I'm going to kill him now' - chased him onto Windmill Road and stabbed him multiple times.

Members of the public including children watched in horror as he attacked the father-of-two in a garden, with several passersby bravely intervening and injuring themselves to provide first aid.

He died from his injuries in the early hours of February 14.

Judge Ian Pringle sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years and 10 months at Oxford Crown Court earlier this afternoon.

His wife Ann-Maria De Deus took the unusual step of requesting to read her victim impact statement out and brought the packed public gallery to tears.

She said: "Adomi was taken from us on February 14, changing our lives forever and turning everything upside down.

"It has caused indescribable trauma to his family and friends.

"We were going to share the stresses of life together and watch our daughters grow up.

She added: "I still can't stop thinking about the pain he must have been going through."

Mr Ramalho worked at Unipart House in Garsington Road for three years.