Thugs who kicked man to death are guilty – again
TWO murderers who kicked a man to death in his own home were yesterday jailed for a minimum of 18 years each.
Ryan gibb and Cameron laurie barged in to James Chadwick’s house and launched a savage attack, leaving him for dead.
gibb’s mother tracey had been in a relationship with Mr Chadwick, 37, for five years before the assault.
the High Court in Aberdeen heard shoeprints found on Mr Chadwick’s face matched those of a pair of trainers worn by 32-year-old gibb.
DNA from laurie, 33, was found on the handle of a mop that had the victim’s blood on its head.
the pair, both prisoners at HMP grampian, were accused of murdering Mr Chadwick, at his flat in Holland Street, Aberdeen, between August 31 and September 1, 2015.
they also faced a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
prosecutor James Keegan, QC, told the jury: ‘they acted in such a way as to demonstrate a complete disregard for Mr Chadwick’s safety. We’ve been told he died because he was kicked and stamped on repeatedly.’
But Keith Stewart, QC, representing gibb, said: ‘there’s nothing to say the subdural haemorrhage was necessarily the result of kicking and stamping to the head. they simply can’t rule out the possibility it was caused by something which occurred after the accused had left the flat.’
Brian McConnachie, QC, defending laurie, said: ‘the Crown depends on things Ryan gibb has said to present a case against Cameron laurie. If you extract Ryan gibb from the evidence against Cameron laurie, you’re left with very little indeed.’
But after a jury delivered guilty verdicts yesterday, Judge lord Burns jailed both men for life, with a minimum term of 18 years each.
they were also given five-year terms for the attempting to defeat the ends of justice charge.
the judge said: ‘you have been convicted of the brutal murder of a vulnerable man in his own home. the only sentence I can pass is one of life imprisonment.’
the trial was the second time gibb and laurie had been convicted of murdering Mr Chadwick.
Both were jailed for life after a trial in 2016, but appealed the verdict.
Appeal court judges ruled the trial judge had wrongly told the jury in the original trial they could not convict the men of culpable homicide, quashed their convictions and sent the case back for retrial.