Neighbour from hell found guilty of murdering homeowner after sitting on top of him

A neighbour from hell killed a homeowner after sitting on top of him and beating him on Christmas Day following a row.

James Hughes, 67, was found guilty by a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday following the death of Harold Turner, 68, at their sheltered housing complex in St Asaph, Denbighshire.

The court heard that the deadly confrontation on Christmas last year stemmed from complaints Mr Turner had made about sounds coming from Hughes's property.

During the altercation outside Hughes's flat, he pinned his neighbour to the ground and repeatedly struck him with his walking stick.

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Hughes will return to court for sentencing at a date yet to be determined.

The jury was told that Hughes habitually wore a voice recording device around his neck on a lanyard, which he used to document conversations due to memory difficulties.

This dictaphone captured the altercation.

In the recording played to the court, Mr Turner could be heard pleading "get off me" and "I can't breathe" as Hughes restrained him.

The dictaphone captured Hughes's indifference to his neighbour's distress.

"What a shame," he replied, before adding: "You can die for all I care."

A post-mortem examination established that Mr Turner died from asphyxia, having also sustained blunt force injuries to his head and face.

Paramedics who attended the scene were unable to revive him despite resuscitation attempts.

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Following the attack, Hughes returned inside his flat, switched on the radio and prepared himself a hot drink.

A subsequent phone conversation with his nephew, also captured by the recording device, revealed Hughes's awareness of what he had done.

"I think I may have killed someone," he told his relative, later adding: "I was sitting on him, dying..."

He described how Turner's head was "bleeding because I whacked it with my new walking stick."

Hughes expressed concern about the consequences, telling his nephew: "I just hope I haven't killed him or I'll cop a murder charge."

After ending the call, the dictaphone recorded him asking his dog about the whereabouts of his walking stick, stating he needed to clean it.

When Hughes eventually contacted emergency services, he suggested Mr Turner might have suffered a heart attack, mentioning only that he had struck him before falling.

Mr Turner's family paid tribute following his death, describing him as someone who would be "sadly missed."

They said he was one of six siblings who joined the Navy after leaving school, subsequently working in London, Ireland, and his hometown of Rhyl.

In the wake of the killing, North Wales Police made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The IOPC determined that an investigation was necessary but concluded it should be conducted locally by the force itself.

The watchdog stated it would maintain oversight of the process, noting: "They will need to share with us their investigation report, for review, if no conduct issues are identified by them."

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