Man who murdered his friend is jailed for life
AMAN who viciously murdered his vulnerable friend after taking 75 Valium tablets and drinking more than 20 pints of strong cider and beer has been jailed for life.
Richard Thomas had only been out of prison for a matter of hours when he met up with Robert Young - who had limited mobility following a stroke - in February 2014 and went back to his flat.
At the victim’s home in Treharris, Thomas attacked his friend, stamping on his head and leaving him gravely injured and unable to walk or talk properly.
Later that year Thomas was sentenced to nine years and nine months after pleading guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
Mr Young never left hospital following the attack, and died some 16 months later.
Thomas was subsequently charged with murder.
He denied the charge, claiming diminished responsibility due to the vast quantities of drink and drugs he had consumed.
But a jury took less than three hours to convict the 36-year-old.
Yesterday he was handed a life sentence when he appeared in the dock of Swansea Crown Court, and was told he will have to serve a minimum of 10 years before being considered for release.
His trial at Merthyr Crown Court previously heard that Thomas was released from police custody after breaching a restraining order on the morning of the attack.
He bought lager and cider and “cracked a can” in the street before seeing 53-year-old Mr Young.
He then bought 75 Valium tablets from a man outside Merthyr Library and the pair went back to his friend’s flat.
Mr Young had suffered a stroke when he was 41 and lost the full use of his right leg and arm.
His housing association property in Treharris, Merthyr Tydfil, had become a daytime drinking den for local alcoholics, including Thomas.
The pair spent the day talking and drinking vodka, lager, and cider before Thomas launched an attack on his friend.
Police and paramedics subsequently found Mr Young unconscious in his blood-splattered flat - and his blood and hair on the sole of Thomas’ trainers.
At his trial Thomas told the jury: “I can’t remember what happened - it’s all a blur.”
Sending him down, judge Paul Thomas QC told the defendant his actions had left Mr Young’s family “bereaved and bereft”.
He said: “You brutally attacked a man who you knew well after the both of you had been drinking heavily, a man who you considered a friend and who you knew was vulnerable.
“You stamped on him and kicked him, viciously and repeatedly, as he lay bleeding on the floor.”
The judge said the starting point for sentencing in such cases was 15 years allowing for the three years and nine months Thomas has already served, and credit for plea, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 10 years before he can be considered for release.
If he is released he will be on licence for the rest of his life.