A man has been jailed for life for stabbing his shift manager to death after he was told off for being late for work at a factory in Hull.
Saman Sali Karim, 26, of Melville Street in the city admitted killing Mark Conway, 28, at Land Food Products in Copenhagen Road on 12 August.
Hull Crown Court heard Karim had been "in a strop" as he had not been allowed to have the day off.
Judge Michael Mettyear recommended a minimum term of 16 years and 133 days.
Prosecuting, Gary Burrell QC, said Karim stabbed Mr Conway in the stomach 15 times after he was called into his office for being four hours late to work.
After the attack, he escaped to a flat in Folkestone, Kent, but was later arrested by armed police.
Appeal pending
The court heard Karim had a history of violence and was known to carry knives if he thought there would be a fight.
Defence counsel Richard Barraclough QC, said Karim had been tortured under the old regime in Iraq and arrived in the UK as a refugee in July 1999.
His exceptional leave to remain expired in December 2004 and he had an appeal pending to be allowed to stay.
Speaking through an interpreter, Karim said he had never attacked anyone in Iraq or the UK.
He said he had not meant to kill Mr Conway and apologised to his family, the police and the port authorities.
Judge Mettyear said Mr Conway had not stood a chance against Karim.
"This was a wholly unnecessary loss of life of a good man simply doing his job," he said.
Speaking outside the court, Mr Conway's mother Barbara said her son had been murdered in a "vicious and merciless" knife attack.
"We as a family will never be able to come to terms with the way he was killed," she said.
"His workplace should have been a safe environment and lessons need to be learned and acted upon."
Senior investigating officer for Humberside Police, Det Supt Richard Kerman, said Hull would be a safer place given Karim's lengthy custodial sentence.
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