more ferals go down for murder

Jailed for 54 years: The 'feral' muggers who kicked a 62-year-old
grandfather to death for refusing to hand over his mobile

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=563024&in_page_id=1770

A grandfather who stood up to a pair of young thugs who demanded his
mobile phone paid for his defiance with his life.

James Smith, 62, who was said by a judge to have been defending the
values of his generation, was beaten about the head, dumped behind an
empty shop and left to die.

His body was not found for more than two weeks.

Yesterday the judge condemned his murderers as "cowards" and added:
"Anyone wanting to identify a perfect example of brainless mindless
thugs need look no further than you two."

Mrs Justice Rafferty said four younger victims had been "streetwise"
enough to give up their valuables to Adrian Hutchinson, 25, and Keith
Buckley, 22.

"It may have saved their lives," the judge said at Manchester Crown
Court.

"James Smith was of a different generation and withstood you.

"He paid with his life as you beat and kicked him and left him in the
indignity of a sordid back yard."

After Hutchinson and Buckley were both jailed for life, Mr Smith's son
said: "My dad was from another generation.

"He wouldn't say boo to a goose, but someone tried to take his mobile
phone and why should he have to give it to them when he worked hard
for it?

"That kind of generation died with him."

Hutchinson - a serial offender who had gone through childhood amassing
a string of convictions without ever being locked up - and Buckley had
spent two hours targeting likely victims in the centre of Oldham in
the early hours of February 27 last year after drinking heavily.

Before attacking Mr Smith, who was on his way home after spending the
evening at a pub with Phillip, they had mugged four men aged between
18 and 22 at knifepoint.

All complied, handing over valuables including mobile phones, cash and
bank cards.

But when the pair turned on the divorcee they found him "a different
kettle of fish", the court heard.

After Mr Smith refused their request for a cigarette, Buckley punched
him in the face before the pair dragged him to a darkened yard,
threatened him with a knife and demanded his property.

Mr Smith, who had bought the mobile phone only a week earlier, refused
to give it up.

He was put in a headlock and hit and kicked repeatedly, causing
fractures of the skull, cheek, jaw and larynx.

Taking his phone - which was later sold for just £20 - the pair left
Mr Smith dying where he lay.

His worried family reported him missing when he failed to return home,
but his body was not found for 17 days.

Buckley was caught later on the night of the attack after one of his
earlier victims pointed him out to police.

He and Hutchinson were linked to Mr Smith when his blood was found on
their clothing.

In court yesterday Mrs Justice Rafferty told them: "With nothing
better to do than haunt the centre of Oldham on a rainy winter night,
the pair of you went on a spree of feckless violence.

"No thought for anyone but yourselves.

"You did not even bother to use a mobile - you had one, you'd taken it
from a victim - to ring anonymously for help.

"No thought for anyone but yourselves. You lied your heads off when
the police caught you. No thought for anyone but yourselves.

"You lied to experienced leading counsel in court to put hopeless
defences to the jury who saw through them in short order.

"You made Mr Smith's family sit and weep as you did so. No thought for
anyone but yourselves."

Hutchinson had first been convicted of theft when he was only 11, but
despite also amassing a further nine convictions for arson, burglary
and assault, by the time he was 16 he had yet to receive a custodial
sentence, the court heard.

Appearing in court a further 29 times as an adult, he was eventually
jailed for four years for burglary, robbery and assault in 2004.

The pair, both from Oldham, who admitted robbery but denied murdering
Mr Smith, were convicted after a two-week trial.

Both were jailed for life, with Hutchinson ordered to serve a minimum
of 28 years and Buckley 26 years.

In a statement to the court, Mr Smith's son and daughter, Louise
Hilditch, told of the "pain, grief, anger and emptiness" they felt.

"Our dad was everything to us - he was not just our dad, he was our
best friend.

"He was there when we needed guidance, advice and was always there
when we needed support."

Afterwards Phillip Smith, 33, added: "You should be able to go out at
night and walk home not worrying about getting hurt."
.

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