Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook John Collins was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Brent Bacon, when he appeared in the Dunedin High Court this morning. Collins killed the 45-year-old father-of-three late on 4 February 2019 at the state housing unit of Collins' wife in the Dunedin suburb of St Clair. The 39-year-old beat Bacon with such ferocity he broke the cricket bat in two. Collins, along with his wife Aleisha Dawson, wrapped Bacon's body in a sleeping bag and put it into his car. Collins and Dawson then disposed of Bacons's body near Waitati, north of Dunedin, before fleeing to the North Island in the victim's car.