Court: Dad beaten to death before house torched

A JURY has been told how a Bristol dad was beaten to death before a house was torched with his body inside.

Andrew Groves, 47, died on September 29 last year. Michael Dommett, 38 and of Oakhanger Drive, and Russell Oakey, 42 and of Hanham High Street, both deny his murder.

A trial began at Bristol Crown Court yesterday. The court heard Mr Groves was allegedly beaten to death by the pair, who are accused of then setting fire to the house in Oakhanger Drive, Lawrence Weston.

Mr Groves worked as a mechanic and owned his own garage, Andy’s Autos. He died in a house belonging to Dommett’s father, also named Michael, who was a good friend of Mr Groves and had died not long before. Mr Groves’ body was discovered when fire officers battered down the front door of the house after a neighbour dialled 999 at about 11.30pm.

His face was bloody and swollen and his clothes were wet, and despite attempts to perform CPR Mr Groves was pronounced dead.

Andrew Groves had suffered a ‘prolonged beating’. A post-mortem examination showed he had suffered fractures to his lower and upper jaw, fractured eye sockets, fractures to his fingers, and broken ribs, which may have caused him to inhale blood while unconscious and lying on his back.

The trial continues at Bristol Crown Court today, presided over by Judge Johnson.