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| Three jailed for father's murder | Three jailed for father's murder |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Two men and a teenager have been jailed for life for murdering a father they kicked and stamped to death after he disturbed them burgling his house. | Two men and a teenager have been jailed for life for murdering a father they kicked and stamped to death after he disturbed them burgling his house. |
| Curtis Delima, 19, Mark Elliott, 21, and Gerry Cusden, 16, were found guilty of murdering Mark Witherall, 47. | Curtis Delima, 19, Mark Elliott, 21, and Gerry Cusden, 16, were found guilty of murdering Mark Witherall, 47. |
| They turned on Mr Witherall in January last year after he stopped them trying to burgle his home in Whitstable, Kent. | They turned on Mr Witherall in January last year after he stopped them trying to burgle his home in Whitstable, Kent. |
| Delima was told he will serve a minimum of 20 years, Elliott at least 23 years and Cusden at least 16 years. | |
| Judge Timothy Pontius said the trio, who were found guilty last month after a nine-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court, had behaved like a "pack of hyenas". | |
| The jury heard CCTV footage of the attack, which captured the attackers' voices as they kicked and stamped on Mr Witherall. | |
| Took house keys | |
| The court was told they had been to a party attended by Mr Witherall's partner, Sally George, 47, after drinking all day. | |
| They took her house keys from her bag when she was not looking and let themselves into her property to look for valuables. | |
| When Mr Witherall woke up and chased them out of the house Elliot picked up a spirit level which he gave to Delima who then hit the 47-year-old in the face. | |
| The group kicked and stamped on him as he lay on the ground before stealing items from the house. | |
| Mr Witherall, who had two daughters aged 30 and 10 and an eight-year-old son, was on a life-support machine in hospital until his death on 7 March last year. | |
| The jury also found Elliot guilty of conspiracy to murder. Delima and Cusden had previously pleaded guilty to the charge. | |
| A 21-year-old woman, Carley Firminger, was cleared of the murder. |