Vulnerable man allegedly beaten and starved to death by a couple was so thin a neighbour thought he had cancer, court hears

By ANDY DOLAN AND MARTIN FRICKER Published: 14:10, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 14:16, 18 June 2026 A NEIGHBOUR of a vulnerable man allegedly beaten and starved to death by a couple told a court today that he was so thin she thought he had cancer. Rubin Blount, 28, was sent to live with Melanie James, 63, and her partner Kenneth Newton, 57, by social workers, jurors heard. But it is claimed the 'recovering drug addicts' kept him in their council house 'for their own financial benefit'. Prosecutor Jennifer Josephs KC said the defendants abused Mr Blount at their home in Tamworth, Staffordshire, 'for their own fun and kicks'. Neighbours said Mr Blount, who had a low IQ and learning disabilities, was regularly seen walking his dog on their council estate. They told Stafford Crown Court he appeared gaunt and wore baggy clothes including a long parka coat, even during the summer. One neighbour, Rachel Collins, told jurors Rubin 'always looked very sad and dirty' and smelled of urine. She said he was 'gaunt' and usually had 'scruffy hairy', but every few months it was shaved off. Neighbour Rachel Collins told the court she thought  'gaunt' looking Rubin Blount (pictured) had cancer 'When his hair was shaved off I actually thought he had cancer, he looked so unwell. His eyes were sunken,' she said. 'We were going to my in-laws for Xmas and I remember thinking 'what does Xmas look like for Rubin?' 'I would see him most days, nearly every day. I would generally see him stood at the end of our cul-de-sac with his dog. 'He was dishevelled and looked very dirty. His clothes didn't look like the clothes were his own clothes. 'It doesn't matter how hot or cold it was, he would have a woolly hat on, a huge parka coat and jeans. 'I never saw him in anything other than that, all year round.' Ms Collins said the alleged murder victim 'had a very nervous demeanour' and 'came across (as) very lost'. 'We had street parties and he would just stand from afar looking down the road', she added. Ms Collins said she last saw Rubin in April 2022, seven months before he died. Another neighbour, Louise Hanna, told the court Mr Blount's clothes were 'hanging off him'. She described him as 'the skinny lad' and said he was 'always polite, friendly and well-mannered'. Mr Blount spent the first 20 years of his life living with his parents Eric and Jeanette Blount, the court previously heard. But in 2015 'following some concerns, the authorities decided that it wasn't appropriate for him to live at home any more,' Miss Josephs said. He moved in with James and Newton, who was described in court as a 'sort of step-brother figure', having been raised by Eric Blount. The court heard that James managed his finances and bank card, controlling the £1,100 in monthly benefits that was paid into his account. They are accused of murdering him at the property in November 2022. Prosecutors say the couple forced him to stand and filmed themselves mocking and threatening him. Jurors were told they 'treated their dog with more kindness and care' than the man they were supposed to be caring for. When Mr Blount died he weighed just seven stones and had suffered multiple rib fractures, a fractured spine and cigarette burns, it is claimed. His cause of death was recorded as septic shock, due to pneumonia and damage to the lung. James and Newton, both of Handsworth, Birmingham, deny murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter. They also deny alternative charges of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult between November 1 and 27, 2022. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.