115 injuries found on man ‘tortured and killed for money to buy drugs’
A VULNERABLE man was tortured and killed in his own home by two men who wanted money for drugs, a jury heard.
Jonathan Herd, 44, suffered 115 separate injuries, some of which ‘showed signs of torture,’ prosecutors said.
His parents discovered their son’s body when they arrived at his Oldham flat for their daily visit.
Michael Pickering, 31, and Leon Wilkes, 38, are both on trial accused of Mr Herd’s murder, and deny any wrongdoing.
On the first day of a Manchester Crown Court trial, prosecutor Rob Hall said that Mr Herd, who lived alone at his flat in Lees New Road, Holts, Oldham, died some time between 5am and 11am on Sunday, July 30.
Mr Herd invited the defendants into his flat after they asked to charge a mobile phone, the jury heard.
After being ‘savagely’ attacked, his injuries included a bleed on the brain, two punctured lungs and cuts to his face, neck and arms and legs.
A knife was also ‘driven down’ into Mr Herd’s bare right foot, the jury heard.
Mr Hall said: “The Crown’s case is that these two defendants wanted money to buy illegal drugs, most likely cocaine, or perhaps thought that Mr Herd may have illegal drugs in his flat.
“They proceeded to torture him in more and more painful ways in the hope that he would give them what they wanted.
“In the end he didn’t have what they wanted.”
The jury was told that they left Mr Herd’s flat with £40 in cash, an Xbox and Xbox games, DVDs, his mobile phone and a gold chain.
A blood-stained knife containing Mr Herd’s DNA was recovered from the flat.
The court heard that nearly two decades ago Mr Herd’s former partner had died, and that he turned to drink as a way of managing his grief.
He had lost his job and lost a lot of weight – and was described as ‘vulnerable’ by Mr Hall.
At the time of his death, Mr Herd was making good progress in battling his drink problem, it was said.
At about 5am, the jury was told, Mr Herd was woken up by the two defendants knocking on the door of the communal entrance to the flats, before letting them in.
They spent time in a flat belonging to one of Mr Herd’s neighbours, a woman who did not like to be alone after her partner had also died.
Then at 11am, Mr Herd’s parents, who were visiting as they did every morning, discovered their son’s dead body.
Prosecutors said there is ‘no doubt’ that Mr Pickering and Mr Wilkes were the only two other people in Mr Herd’s flat when he was killed.
Mr Pickering, of no fixed address, and Mr Wilkes, of Victor Street, Lees, Oldham, both deny murder.
Proceeding