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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Three guilty of front door murder | Three guilty of front door murder |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Three men have been jailed for life for the murder of a man shot through the door of his home in a seaside village. | Three men have been jailed for life for the murder of a man shot through the door of his home in a seaside village. |
| John Ward, 22, bled to death after a shotgun round was fired through a glass panel in the door of his home in St Osyth, Essex, the Old Bailey heard. | John Ward, 22, bled to death after a shotgun round was fired through a glass panel in the door of his home in St Osyth, Essex, the Old Bailey heard. |
| David Taylor, 40, of Colchester, Peter Jones, 40, of Chelmsford, and Martin Valentine, 43, of South Ockenden, were all found guilty of his murder. | |
| Vishnu Bhaskaran, 28, and Steven Walker, 29, were cleared by the jury. | Vishnu Bhaskaran, 28, and Steven Walker, 29, were cleared by the jury. |
| The jury earlier heard how the real target was Stuart Higgins, 22, who was sheltering in his friend's five-bedroomed home at the time. | The jury earlier heard how the real target was Stuart Higgins, 22, who was sheltering in his friend's five-bedroomed home at the time. |
| Taylor decided he had to be punished for what he had done John Dodd QC | Taylor decided he had to be punished for what he had done John Dodd QC |
| Prosecutor John Dodd QC told the court how Taylor had decided to "warn off" Mr Higgins following an earlier incident involving the 17-year-old son of a friend. | Prosecutor John Dodd QC told the court how Taylor had decided to "warn off" Mr Higgins following an earlier incident involving the 17-year-old son of a friend. |
| Mr Higgins was said to have asked the teenager's mother for his bracelet as payment for a debt and Taylor was said to have been angered that Mr Higgins had threatened the family with a knife. | Mr Higgins was said to have asked the teenager's mother for his bracelet as payment for a debt and Taylor was said to have been angered that Mr Higgins had threatened the family with a knife. |
| "David Taylor decided he had to be punished for what he had done," Mr Dodd told the court. | "David Taylor decided he had to be punished for what he had done," Mr Dodd told the court. |
| Two of the killers were tracked down after they fled to Spain | |
| The court heard that Valentine had come to Mr Ward's door asking for Mr Higgins. | The court heard that Valentine had come to Mr Ward's door asking for Mr Higgins. |
| Mr Higgins became alarmed when Valentine called out to a group of men and was trying to shut the front door - along with Mr Ward - when the shot was fired. | Mr Higgins became alarmed when Valentine called out to a group of men and was trying to shut the front door - along with Mr Ward - when the shot was fired. |
| "Higgins moved back into the internal door with Mr Ward trying to shut it with his shoulder," Mr Dodd said. | "Higgins moved back into the internal door with Mr Ward trying to shut it with his shoulder," Mr Dodd said. |
| "It was John Ward's great misfortune to be standing close to Higgins when the gunman, Valentine, fired the sawn off shotgun and as a result it was Ward, not Higgins, who died that evening." | "It was John Ward's great misfortune to be standing close to Higgins when the gunman, Valentine, fired the sawn off shotgun and as a result it was Ward, not Higgins, who died that evening." |
| Revenge killing | |
| Taylor and Jones fled to Spain but were traced in May last year and returned to the UK. | Taylor and Jones fled to Spain but were traced in May last year and returned to the UK. |
| Taylor, of Horley Point, Colchester, and Valentine, of South Ockenden, were sentenced to life and told they would serve a minimum of 30 years each. | Taylor, of Horley Point, Colchester, and Valentine, of South Ockenden, were sentenced to life and told they would serve a minimum of 30 years each. |
| The door, with a bullet hole in the glass, was pictured as evidence | |
| Jones of Danbury, Chelmsford, was told he must serve a minimum of 25 years. | Jones of Danbury, Chelmsford, was told he must serve a minimum of 25 years. |
| Mr Walker of Fernwood Road, Holland-on-Sea, Essex, and Mr Bhaskaran of Colchester, were both cleared. | Mr Walker of Fernwood Road, Holland-on-Sea, Essex, and Mr Bhaskaran of Colchester, were both cleared. |
| Higgins, 20, was given six months youth custody for contempt of court after refusing to give evidence at the trial. | Higgins, 20, was given six months youth custody for contempt of court after refusing to give evidence at the trial. |
| Martin Brown, 26, of Manningtree, Essex, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was jailed for seven months at an earlier hearing. | Martin Brown, 26, of Manningtree, Essex, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was jailed for seven months at an earlier hearing. |
| Judge David Paget said: "This was a revenge shooting over a comparatively trivial incident of provocation. | Judge David Paget said: "This was a revenge shooting over a comparatively trivial incident of provocation. |
| "There was clearly no intention to kill John Ward." | "There was clearly no intention to kill John Ward." |