Disabled man 'killed for sport'

[BertRoot]

Mr Martin suffered from learning difficulties

A gang beat and tortured a disabled man to death for sport, a court has heard. Brent Martin died in hospital after being found with multiple injuries on Sunderland's Town End Farm estate in August last year.
A youth, aged 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murdering the 23-year-old, who was found dying next to a parked car.
William Hughes, 21, and a 16-year-old have already admitted Mr Martin's murder, at Newcastle Crown Court.
On Tuesday, at the start of the 17-year-old's trial, the court heard that the attack began at a bus stop when he bet £5 that the 16-year-old could not knock out Mr Martin with his right hand.
Both youngsters were trained as boxers, and their victim was repeatedly punched, kicked, stamped on and head butted, the jury was told.
Multiple injuries
Prosecutor Toby Hedworth QC said: "That man Brent Martin never lifted an aggressive finger towards them and they did that to him until he was dead. They did that for their own sport."
A post-mortem examination revealed he died from a massive head injury and had suffered at least 18 separate blows to the head and neck.
The court heard that the 17-year-old defendant later told witnesses: "I am not going down for a muppet."
A 47-year-old woman, the mother of the 16-year-old, is also on trial accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
She is accused of destroying evidence by washing the blood-stained clothing of her son.
The trial continues.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/7177716.stm

[FireBlade]

watch them get like 4 years each for this rarther than life in prison

[Mickey]

Fecking disgrace, bring back Hanging

[Booyakasha]

Fucking disgrace, I would say it shocked me but nothing ever does these days
given the state of society today.

I fail to see how a disabled person would be considered ''good sporting challenge'' for 2 trained boxers.

I hope they burn in hell for what they done.

[Ganty]

Awful. Trained boxers as well ffs?

It staggers me why they cannot name people of 17 for "legal reasons"

Name and shame the tossers

[MonkeyBalls]

Don't they get named once they're charged etc?
They should get maxium sentence possible...its sick....
watch them get found as being insane or something and just go into some low security hospital and are out in a few years!

[DB]

Cut their fuckin arms off

[SiE]

wankers, They should get 20 for that. Bet they get a small sentence for it and do very little time, fucking scum!!!

[ant3b]

4 years most and 20 hours community service.

[nitelife]

cunts

[rmj2663]

Cant wait for all the excuses about how society let them down & they are nice boys really & that a little bit of community service plus some visits to the cosy shrinks with widescreen TV & consoles will really get their lives back on track.
Fuck off! Shoot the scumbag bullies, they've been training for years how to knock 7 bells out of opponents in the ring that could fight back, what in Gods name chance did that poor bugger have. I'll tell you,- nil.
Rant over.

[liveseytowers]

What a pair of cnuts. Betting someone a fiver that they can't knock someone out is crazy! They should get a even longer sentence because they are trained fighters!

[RSV]

Cant wait for all the excuses about how society let them down & they are nice boys really & that a little bit of community service plus some visits to the cosy shrinks with widescreen TV & consoles will really get their lives back on track.
fcuk off! Shoot the scumbag bullies, they've been training for years how to knock 7 bells out of opponents in the ring that could fight back, what in Gods name chance did that poor bugger have. I'll tell you,- nil.
Rant over.

I worked in a young offenders prison last year for a while and this is true... They have playstations in their cells and sky tv.... fucks sake i know people my age who work fucking hard all their lives and cant afford luxuries like that.... Reckon they should be hung!!!!!

[evilsatan]

The law is a load of bollocks in cases like this, they are kids but even as a kid you know this is wrong and saying they didn't understand their actions is tosh. Send the fuckers to the nastiest jail for life and see if that teaches them a lesson.

[super mike]

Let's hope they get mowed down by a bus on the way to the courts

[RSV]

Let's hope they get mowed down by a bus on the way to the courts

Yeah!!!!! One full of handicapped people lol

[B B Leo]

the law will just protect them.
it not about the victims any more but how far the thugs get

[BertRoot]

Gang get life for '£5 bet' murder

The "sadistic" gang must serve between 15 and 22 years

A man and two youths who kicked a disabled man to death over a £5 bet have been jailed for life. Brent Martin, 23, who had learning difficulties, died in hospital after he was found in a pool of blood on Sunderland's Town End Farm estate.
William Hughes, 22, and Marcus Miller, 16, had admitted the murder but Stephen Bonallie, 17, had denied the charge.
The judge at Newcastle Crown Court ruled they must serve minimum terms of between 15 and 22 years.
Posed for photographs
The three, all trained boxers from Sunderland, repeatedly punched, kicked, stamped on and head-butted their victim over a £5 bet to see who could knock him out first.
They chased him around the Town End Farm estate just three months after he was released from a psychiatric hospital where he had been staying due to his learning difficulties, the court heard.
Mr Martin was punched, kicked, stamped on and head-butted


Finally he was stripped of his trousers and pants and left dying next to a parked car in Baxter Road, Town End Farm, as his attackers posed for photographs.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Martin died from a massive head injury and had suffered at least 18 separate blows to the head and neck.
Hughes, from Washington Road, must serve a minimum of 22 years, Bonallie, from Birtley Avenue, 18 years, and Miller, from Baxter Road, must serve at least 15.
Judge John Milford described the attack as "sadistic conduct on an extremely vulnerable victim".
Brutally, cowardly - they acted like a pack of animals


Det Supt Barbara Franklin


He said: "I would hope the minimum terms imposed upon young offenders are sufficiently long to spell out to young people the consequences of committing murder.
"If I am wrong, then perhaps the 12-year starting point for those under 18 needs to be looked at again by Parliament when the murder is, as in this case, particularly serious."
Judge Milford also said their victim has been a "gentle and caring person" who had a long history of mental health problems.
Ben Nolan QC, defending Miller, who has an IQ of 79, blamed the availability of cheap alcohol, and said litres of vodka were being sold for £6 in Sunderland.
"I calculate that to be 30p a double shot," he said.
'Effective action'
Outside the court, Mr Martin's family toasted the lengthy jail sentences with champagne and well-wishers wore white T-shirts displaying Mr Martin's name and picture.
His mother Brenda welcomed the sentence and praised the judge, adding: "The government needs to listen to murder victims' families."
Det Supt Barbara Franklin, who led the inquiry, also believed alcohol was a factor.
Mr Martin's family toasted the sentences outside court


She said: "It's up to retailers to make sure it's sold responsibly, it's up to parents to take responsibility for what their children get up to outside the home.
"We need people to tell us when disorder is happening in their communities so we can take effective action before it gets out of hand.
"In the five years I've been a senior investigating officer this is one of the most brutal murders I've dealt with.
"Brutally, cowardly - they acted like a pack of animals. There's no other way to describe the people involved."
Ian Macrae, editor of Disability Now magazine, published by the disability charity Scope, said: "We are pleased that William Hughes, Marcus Miller and Stephen Bonallie have received such long sentences.
"But we are disappointed that the judge did not mention the fact that Mr Martin was clearly targeted because he was disabled and that his horrific murder was aggravated by hatred towards his impairment.
"Murders motivated by homophobia and racism often attract far stiffer sentences. All such horrific crimes must be treated equally by the criminal justice system."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/7270808.stm

[liveseytowers]

Fookers, i hope someone plays the same game with them in Prison, only they try and fist them with one punch in the ass instead!

[Over Carl]

Disgusting. Glad to hear they didn't get given paltry sentences although it's a shame it wasn't a lot longer.