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| Pair guilty in river murder case | Pair guilty in river murder case |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Two men have been convicted of the murder of a teenager who was beaten and thrown into a Bedfordshire river. | Two men have been convicted of the murder of a teenager who was beaten and thrown into a Bedfordshire river. |
| Sean Downes and Thomas Luddington were convicted of the murder of 17-year-old Robert Gill who was found in the River Great Ouse near Bedford. | Sean Downes and Thomas Luddington were convicted of the murder of 17-year-old Robert Gill who was found in the River Great Ouse near Bedford. |
| At Luton Crown Court, Downes, 18, of Acacia Road and Luddington, 18, of Dunham Close, both Bedford, had denied a charge of murder. | At Luton Crown Court, Downes, 18, of Acacia Road and Luddington, 18, of Dunham Close, both Bedford, had denied a charge of murder. |
| Attackers led him to the river and used him "as a punch bag", the jury heard. | Attackers led him to the river and used him "as a punch bag", the jury heard. |
| 'Picking on their prey' | |
| A youth of 16, who cannot be named, was convicted of manslaughter, robbery and false imprisonment. | A youth of 16, who cannot be named, was convicted of manslaughter, robbery and false imprisonment. |
| Downes and Luddington were also convicted of charges of robbery and false imprisonment. | Downes and Luddington were also convicted of charges of robbery and false imprisonment. |
| Robert Gill was an engineering student who was on a night out with his brother when he was attacked in Bedford two days after Christmas. | |
| Police divers recovered his body eight days later. | |
| Timothy Spencer QC, for the prosecution, said the three had behaved like "predators, picking on their prey". | |
| Robert had been drinking in a nightclub with his brother, but was attacked shortly after leaving the club. | |
| They had demanded the pin number to his debit card but became angry when it would not allow them to take out any money. | |
| He was then subjected to a savage attack, punched and kicked to the body before going into the water. | |
| Judge John Bevan QC adjourned sentence until September for reports to be completed on the three accused. |