Two men found guilty of Yeovil murder
Franklin Ingram was killed by a neighbour and another man in a fight with a hammer
Two men have been found guilty of murdering another man at a flat in Yeovil earlier this year.
Martin Carty and Mark Sothcott denied killing Carty's neighbour Franklin Ingram at Carty's flat in Raglan Terrace in June, but a jury found them unanimously guilty after a three week trial at Bristol Crown Court.
The jury were told that on the afternoon of 22 June, there had been an exchange of words after Carty had left rubbish near Mr Ingram’s flat.
A CCTV recording was played in which 68-year-old Franklin (known as Frank) later described Carty as an ‘idiot’ to another individual, stating he was going to contact the housing association responsible for the flats.
The prosecution said that shortly before 11pm however, an ‘angry’ Frank went up to Carty’s flat with a hammer. Both Carty and Sothcott were inside.
Jurors were told Mr Ingram and Carty became involved in a row before a fight between the three men started, in which the victim was headbutted and struck with the hammer. A subsequent pathology report revealed Frank had sustained injuries to his face, head, torso, arms and legs.
It took until 6:40pm the following day for for Carty to call for an ambulance, claiming he had found Frank already dead. He claimed Mr Ingram had been to his flat the night before in an agitated state, and he had let him sleep on his couch.
The call-handler, unaware of what had taken place, encouraged Carty to put Frank in the recovery position but he refused.
Paramedics attended and found Mr Ingram had sustained several wounds which did not appear to be consistent with what Carty had said, and he was subsequently arrested on 23 June by police.
Sothcott, of Stiby Road, was arrested the next day following information from members of the public about comments he had made after leaving Raglan Terrace the night Frank was killed.
During the police investigation audio from CCTV cameras was sourced which enabled detectives to determine the pair knew Mr Ingram had died during the altercation.
Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Mark Almond, said: “The medical evidence clearly demonstrated that a serious and sustained violent attack was carried out against Frank Ingram. The severity of the injuries caused shows the true intent of their actions.
“They both knew they had at least seriously injured him, and most likely killed him, and the fact neither of them called the emergency services for more than 18 hours is truly horrendous.
“Frank Ingram’s family has received support from specially-trained officers ever since the tragic events of 22 June and our thoughts remain with them.
“While we welcome these verdicts and hope the family take comfort in the truth being put before the courts, we recognise this cannot erase the pain they continue to experience after such a devastating loss.”
Carty and Sothcott, both 56 have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced in the new year.