A man is set to be sentenced for the murder of his interior designer partner Stuart Rattle.

The family of a man murdered by the lover they comforted after his death have had their grief compounded by the sentence he's received.

Michael Anthony O'Neill maintained a charade that Stuart Rattle was ill in bed for five days, and even made him cups of tea, after he bludgeoned and strangled his partner with a dog leash.

Victorian Supreme Court judge Elizabeth Hollingworth on Wednesday jailed O'Neill for 18 years - with a minimum of 13 - for murdering Mr Rattle then later setting their apartment on fire.

O'Neill, 48, originally claimed his business partner and lover had died in the fire but confessed to the killing after police found holes in his story.

Mr Rattle's family were "shattered" by the jail term on Wednesday.

"Stuart was at the peak of his career, his brilliance was an inspiration to many," his sister, Katrina Lewin, said outside the court.

She said he was a talented, charming and generous man whom they miss every day.

"We thought coming into this today that the sentence would never be enough to compensate adequately to represent Stuart's life," Mrs Lewin said outside court.

"It's a waste of a beautiful life."

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Vic family shattered by meagre sentence

A man is set to be sentenced for the murder of his interior designer partner Stuart Rattle.

The family of a man murdered by the lover they comforted after his death have had their grief compounded by the sentence he's received.

Michael Anthony O'Neill maintained a charade that Stuart Rattle was ill in bed for five days, and even made him cups of tea, after he bludgeoned and strangled his partner with a dog leash.

Victorian Supreme Court judge Elizabeth Hollingworth on Wednesday jailed O'Neill for 18 years - with a minimum of 13 - for murdering Mr Rattle then later setting their apartment on fire.

O'Neill, 48, originally claimed his business partner and lover had died in the fire but confessed to the killing after police found holes in his story.

Mr Rattle's family were "shattered" by the jail term on Wednesday.

"Stuart was at the peak of his career, his brilliance was an inspiration to many," his sister, Katrina Lewin, said outside the court.

She said he was a talented, charming and generous man whom they miss every day.

"We thought coming into this today that the sentence would never be enough to compensate adequately to represent Stuart's life," Mrs Lewin said outside court.

"It's a waste of a beautiful life."

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Vic killer jailed for 18 years

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WASHINGTON (AP) - A top aide to Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock resigned Thursday following published reports that he posted racially charged comments on social media.

Benjamin Cole had served as the four-term Republican lawmaker's spokesman since March.

In a statement to the Peoria Journal Star, Schock said he was "extremely disappointed by the inexcusable and offensive online comments made by a member of my staff."

Schock said he expects better, adding that Cole offered to resign after meeting with the lawmaker Thursday.

The meeting came after the liberal website Think Progress on Thursday published posts from Cole's personal Facebook page that included comments mocking two black people outside his Washington apartment.

Earlier this week, Cole tried to stop a Washington Post reporter from taking photos of Schock's congressional office, which is decorated in a style modeled after the TV show "Downton Abbey."

"Are you taking pictures of the office?" the newspaper quoted Cole as asking. "Who told you you could do that?"

A staff member then asked the reporter to delete the photos from his cell phone, the Post reported.

A watchdog group has requested an ethics inquiry over the interior design work, which was donated by Illinois interior decorator Annie Brahler.

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Lawmaker's aide resigns after reports of racial comments

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Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) plans to pay for all of the "Downton Abbey"-inspired redecorating recently done in his Capitol Hill office suite, he said on Wednesday.

The congressman has been dogged by questions about the costs ever since The Washington Post revealed on Monday how an interior decorator from Illinois had been allowed to adorn parts of his Rayburn Office Building suite in a dark red color with a bust of Abraham Lincoln and massive arrangements of pheasant feathers.

But on Wednesday, Schock told ABC News that he planned to pay decorator Annie Brahler for her work when she sends an invoice.

"Shes working on the office, so once its done, Im sure Ill get an invoice, and Ill pay her," he told ABC's Jeff Zeleny.

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The decor in Schock's office -- inspired by the hit PBS drama about an English aristocratic family and its hired help adjusting to life in the early 20th century -- has been the subject of widespread chatter on television and in the halls of Congress.

Schock told ABC that he's never seen an episode of the show and claimed he was unaware that Brahler was picking the show as a theme.

"Ive never seen an episode of Downton Abbey," he said.

Schock defended his decision to ABC, saying it reflects his more youthful approach to legislating.

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Aaron Schock plans to pay decorator for his Downton Abbey-inspired office

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) is dealing with more drama due to his Downton Abbey-inspired office decorations.

A government watchdog is calling on ethics officials to investigate the Illinois Republican for allegedly accepting free services from an Illinois interior decorator and paying for new furniture including a gold sconce, drippy crystal chandelier and large arrangements of pheasant feathers with campaign funds.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, also known as CREW, filed the complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics on Tuesday, after a story in The Washington Post described the ornate renovation in Schocks Rayburn House building office.

Interior designer Annie Brahler reportedly volunteered her services and pulled ideas from the popular PBS British drama series Downton Abbey. She had also decorated his previous office in the Cannon House Office Building, where USA Today reported that taxpayers picked up the tab for tens of thousands of dollars for office renovations.

House ethics rules bar members from accepting free gifts or services, or using campaign funds to pay for furniture in their offices.

CREW interim Executive Director Anne L. Weismann called on the ethics office to investigate Schocks actions and forward the matter to the House Ethics Committee, writing that gifts to members create an appearance of impropriety that may undermine the publics faith in government, and may provide the opportunity for improperly influencing members.

Perhaps its not totally surprising that the same congressman who spent campaign money on P90X workout DVDs wanted to create a more picturesque setting in which to be photographed, but the rules clearly require him to pay for those renovations himself, Weismann said in a statement.

Again and again, Rep. Schocks seeming obsession with his image impedes his ability to conduct himself in ethical manner.

A Schock spokesman did not respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.

The decorations flap is a rare stumble for Schock, 33, a fast-rising GOP star and fitness freak whose chiseled abs landed him on the cover of Mens Health magazine in 2011.

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GOP rep faces ethics complaint over 'Downton Abbey' decorations

Rep. Aaron Schock has an explanation for whats been called his Downton Abbey-inspired office: hes never been an old crusty white guy.

The Illinois Republican made headlines this week after a report surfaced revealing his work digs in the Rayburn House Office Building received an extreme makeover from an interior decorator.

The design guru told The Washington Post which was first to report the story that the bright red walls, chandelier, feather arrangements and sconce with black candles, among other accouterments, were inspired by the dining room in the PBS drama.

When I go take a personal vacation I dont sit on the beach, I go do active things, said Schock, who is now 33 and once bared his abs on the coverof Mens Healthmagazine. And so, I'm also not going to live in a cave. So when I post anInstagramphoto with me and my friends, asTaylor Swiftsaid, haters gonna hate.

My office last year, or four years ago was a dark navy. And so obviously it wasn't of interest four years ago, Schock told ABC. So I think the fact that it's red makes people go, Wow, that's different.

Schock contends hes never even seen an episode of the popular British series.Maybe we'll have a Downton Abbey watch party? cracked the lawmaker, before adding, At the end of the day, regardless of what color wall you choose your office, the most important thing in Congress is what you do for your constituents and what you do for your job.

Schock also said, I'm not upset about the red walls.

A government watchdog is calling on ethics officials to investigate the Illinois Republican for allegedly accepting free services from an Illinois interior decorator and paying for new furniture with campaign funds.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, also known as CREW, filed thecomplaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics on Tuesday. Republicans view the group as leaning to the left.

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GOP rep on 'Downton' office: 'Haters gonna hate'

A promotional cast photo for "Downton Abbey" season 5. Nick Briggs/Carnival Films 2014 for MASTERPIECE

WASHINGTON - An Illinois congressman who decorated his office in a style modeled after the TV show "Downton Abbey" may face an ethics investigation.

A watchdog group has asked a congressional review panel to examine whether Republican Rep. Aaron Schock broke House rules by accepting professional interior design work for free.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group, requested an inquiry by the Office of Congressional Ethics, an outside panel that reviews ethics complaints against House members. A spokesman for Schock declined to comment, as did the Office of Congressional Ethics and the House Ethics Committee, although on Wednesday, Schock told ABC News that he would pay for the work on his office.

The Washington Post reported this week that interior decorator Annie Brahler donated her services as she decorated Schock's Washington office with a red carpet and walls accented with antique-looking frames and sconces reminiscent of "Downton Abbey." The popular PBS show depicts the lives of aristocratic family and their servants in 1920s England.

U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., speaks in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner during a campaign rally outside the State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Monday, Nov. 3, 2014.

AP Photo/Seth Perlman

"Perhaps it's not totally surprising that the same congressman who spent campaign money on P90X workout DVDs wanted to create a more picturesque setting in which to be photographed, but the rules clearly require him to pay for those renovations himself," said Anne Weismann, the watchdog group's interim executive director.

House rules broadly prohibit members of Congress from accepting gifts or services valued at more than $50. The rules include numerous exemptions, including one that allows gifts from personal friends. Brahler, who owns an Illinois-based firm called Euro Trash, also decorated Shock's previous Washington office, the Post reported.

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Congressman's "Downton Abbey"-inspired office draws ethics questions