Pair Jailed for Killing Disabled Man

23 November 2011, 17:51 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Two men who stamped to death a disabled man in Scunthorpe, stripped him and then stole his false leg, have been jailed for life.

44 year old Roy Bush was kicked and punched in his flat in March last year.

They stripped him and removed his prosthetic leg as a final humiliation, leaving him dead or dying before dumping the false limb in woods nearby, along with other items they had stolen.

Joe Harrison, 27, from Scunthorpe, admitted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years at Teesside Crown Court.

Liam Campbell, 26, from Barton-upon-Humber, has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 21 years after he was convicted following a trial.

The judge said they were ``relishing'' what they did.

Campbell's defence that his drink may have been spiked as he had no recollection of the vicious attack was rejected by a majority of 11-1.

During the trial, it was raised in evidence that one of the killers may have called Mr Bush a ``nonce'' during the attack, and there were rumours that Mr Bush was a paedophile, but he had no convictions for any sex offence against a child.

Judge Fox said: ``The late Roy Bush suffered a death that was quite horrible.

``Having obtained entry (to his flat) you both set upon him viciously.

``It was a sustained, prolonged attack.

``He died because of your kickings, stampings to and upon his head but there were other gratuitous additions. While he was on the ground, you were breaking his ribs.

``You subjected him if not to dismemberment then to something very close to it.

``It certainly falls within the description of a gross indignity, being stripped naked with your removal of his prosthetic leg.

``He was still alive at that point.

``It was plain that very shortly afterwards that you were relishing what you had done.

``You were demonstrating how you were running and jumping and planting with both feet upon him, plainly enjoying such a dreadful thing to do.''