Death of snake led to brutal hammer attack

‘Loyalist’ brothers jailed for vigilante horror

TWO brothers who claimed to be loyalist paramilitaries were yesterday jailed for a “brutal” hammer attack on a man over claims he killed a pet snake. Jason Spence got six years and eight months at Belfast Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to wounding his vulnerable victim with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm. A judge told the 27-year-old, who suffers from delusions and hallucinations, that he would serve three years and four months in prison with the remaining three years and four months on supervised licence upon his release from custody. His younger brother Ivan Spence, 25, from Crichton Park, Tamlaght, Co Fermanagh, received a sentence of three years, with 18 months to spent in custody followed by 18 months on licence. The court heard the victim was at his Templemore Street flat in East Belfast in the early hours of April 26, 2013, when he answered a knock to his door to three men, one of whom he had recognised meeting at a house party. A prosecution lawyer told Judge Geoffrey Miller that Jason Spence, from Main Street, Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh, followed the victim into the house, claiming he was from the “UVF” and started to hit the man with the hammer. It was claimed the attack happened after the victim was accused of killing a pet snake belonging to co-accused Ryan Hilditch. He was later convicted of aiding and abetting the attack and received a four-year determinate sentence. Judge Miller said: “No court can, or will, condone acts of vigilantism and it is clear that whatever the motivation for the actions of these defendants it was clearly illegal in nature.”