Three people murdered their vulnerable housemate by sexually assaulting him with a broom handle after finding out he was a sex offender.
Two men and a woman have been jailed for life after they were convicted of murdering Terry Oldham, 63.
Truro crown court was told it was the “culmination” of a series of attacks and abuse by the defendants at the house in Camborne, Cornwall.
The victim’s body had fractured ribs and bruises around his sexual organs after he was found dead there in April 2014.
Mr Oldham was injured during an assault with a broken broom handle causing him to develop an infection which led to organ failure and his death.
The jury heard one of the defendants boasted about stealing money from his account and another said they had fed him a curry made from dog mess.
Prosecutor Paul Dunkels QC said the group discovered he was a sex offender from written materials found in his room – in 1987 he was convicted of indecently assaulting a girl under 14.
Mr Dunkels said: “They considered him fair game because he was a convicted sex offender.”
He said the victim was a “small frail man routinely bullied by the defendants who took his money and possessions”.
An ambulance was called by Michelle Casterton and the Crown said: “It must have been obvious he was seriously ill but no one went for any help until he was dead.”
He said Mr Oldham had few friends and was reluctant to talk about his injuries out of fear of retribution from the defendants.
He told one friend what was happening but Dougie Pellow told the court: “I told him to call the police and get them out.”
Aaron Mallen, 24, Michelle Casterton, 43, and 23 year old Daniel Quinn, all of Falmouth, Cornwall, were found guilty of murder after a five week trial.
A fourth defendant, Richard Rosevear, 32, of St Austell, Cornwall, was cleared of murder and of a second charge of allowing or causing the death of a vulnerable person.
Culled from The Mirror