Man sentenced over partner's murder

The long-term partner of well-known Daylesford interior designer Stuart Rattle, has been sentenced to 18 years jail, for murder.

The court heard 48-year-old Michael Anthony O'Neill snapped in the heat of the moment and bludgeoned Mr Rattle with a fry pan, after an argument.

He then strangled him with a dog leash.

O'Neill then made his partner a cup of tea and acted as if nothing happened.

O'Neill spent five days pretending everything was normal, telling friends and co-workers Rattle was feeling unwell, before he set fire to their Melbourne apartment.

Victorian Supreme Court judge Elizabeth Hollingworth said O'Neill had trouble coming to terms with the fact he had killed the man he loved.

"There's plenty of evidence that you are devastated by what you have done," Justice Hollingworth said.

O'Neill admitted killing Rattle after police found inconsistencies with his claim that Mr Rattle died in the house fire.

He will serve a minimum of 13 years behind bars, before he is eligible for parole.

Mr Rattle was well-known in the Daylesford area for his beautiful gardens on his 35-hectare property, Musk Farm.

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Man sentenced over partner's murder