Monday, July 19, 2010

Couple beat up victim to stop her attending her brother's funeral

A brutal couple beat up a woman and left her fighting for life – to stop her attending her brother's funeral. Paul Jenkinson, 47, and Linzi Hughes, 43, carried out a three-hour attack on Eileen White in May last year, only days after her brother, Alex Hughes, died from cancer. Hughes had been married to Alex until two years before his death and Jenkinson had been best man at their wedding.

Both defendants had also been close friends of Ms White for years – but had fallen out shortly before his death over Alex's care. The violent pair decided that grieving Eileen should not be allowed to attend her brother's funeral – and carried out the vicious attack to make sure she would be fighting for her life in hospital as her brother was buried.

The attack happened at Mr Hughes' house at Elm Park Court, Parker Street, Derby, where Ms White had cared for him until his death. Birmingham Crown Court heard that the pair had even discussed killing Ms White as she lay in a heap in her own home – but Jenkinson decided she "wasn't worth doing life for".

They carried out a brutal and prolonged attack, leaving Ms White with all of her ribs broken, a collapsed lung, and serious bruising to her face and body. Jenkinson, of Morleston Street, Derby, who pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent in March, and Hughes, of Leytonstone Drive, Mackworth, who was found guilty at a trial on June 9, were both sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

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