A former jeweller who recorded himself murdering his neighbour at the height of a bitter noise dispute will spend the rest of his life behind bars.James Hughes, 67, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years after being found guilty of murder by a jury last month.He refused to attend his sentencing hearing on Thursday and remained in his cell as it played out in Caernarfon Crown Court in North Wales. A key part of the prosecution evidence was audio from a dictaphone that Hughes said he carried over fears his neighbour would attack him. The court heard he murdered Harold Turner, 68, by repeatedly hitting him with a walking stick and sitting on him on Christmas Day morning last year. There had been growing tension between the neighbours, who lived beside each other at Old Palace Flats in St Asaph, for some time.Mr Turner had made several complaints about noise he attributed to Hughes, including banging on walls and rails and disturbances at night.The court heard Mr Turner, who had extensive health issues, had approached and threatened Hughes just minutes before the fatal altercation. James Hughes, 67, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years after being found guilty of murder by a jury last monthDuring sentencing, Judge Matthew Nicklin said: 'During the night of Christmas Eve and into Christmas morning, Mr Turner was angry and distressed.'At 5.15am on Christmas morning he left a voicemail for Hughes saying: "I want you to f*** off, that's what I want. I'm going to make you f*** off and I am going to get you. You're mine, you're f***** with the wrong person. Good night, sleep tight."'The judge said Mr Turner used abusive and threatening language, saying he would knock the defendant out and warned: 'If you go for it I'll go for you any time.'The court heard Hughes called North Wales Police twice that morning, once at 8.47am when he said his neighbour had been banging on his door since 11pm and at 9.04am when he played Mr Turner's threatening voicemail to the call handler. At 11.03am, Mr Turner left a voicemail on the community house manager's phone saying he was at breaking point and was going to hurt somebody. Later that morning, a physical altercation between the pair occurred outside Hughes' flat, which the judge said had been started by Mr Turner. Judge Nicklin said: 'The defendant did not go looking for violence that day. The confrontation took place outside the defendant's flat after he had called the police and after threats had been made by Mr Turner.'By way of the jury's verdict either he did not believe the force he used was necessary or the force he used was not reasonable in the circumstances. A post-mortem examination found Harold Turner (pictured) died as a result of asphyxia and had suffered blunt force trauma to his face and head'The central piece of evidence was the dictaphone recording which captured Mr Turner saying: "Get off me, I can't breathe."'The defendant refused to get off him and said: "What a f****** shame, do you want me to hurt you again? You can f****** die for all I care, I don't give a f***".'After the incident, the court heard Hughes went back into his flat, turned on the radio and made himself a hot drink. He called his nephew some time after the altercation - during which time the dictaphone was still recording him. In the audio, Hughes could be heard telling his nephew: 'I think I may have killed someone.'When Hughes eventually called for an ambulance, he told emergency call handlers he thought Mr Turner may have had a heart attack. He said: 'I hit him with my stick and he fell and he banged himself against the window.'A post-mortem examination found Mr Turner died as a result of asphyxia and had suffered blunt force trauma to his face and head. In mitigation, Gordon Cole KC, for Hughes, said his client had no previous convictions and would 'serve the remaining years of his life in prison' due to his ill health.Mr Cole said Hughes had been the victim of serious crime in South Africa on multiple occasions and was not in good physical condition.Judge Nicklin said the incident had not been a planned murder but that Hughes had ignored pleas from Mr Turner to get off him. He said Hughes' response had instead been 'angry, callous and cruel'.Following the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Eleri Thomas, of North Wales Police, said: 'This was a senseless murder which was borne out of a dispute between two retired neighbours.'Through his persistent, antagonistic actions, James Hughes drove Mr Turner to a confrontation at the door of his flat, and despite Mr Turner's pleas that he couldn't breathe, Hughes continued to sit on his chest and proceeded to strike his head with his walking stick.'His recording of the attack and subsequent conversations afterwards were damning as to his guilt, and whilst Mr Turner's family may never be able fully comprehend why this tragic incident happened, I hope we have provided them with some form of justice and closure today.'