A man who bludgeoned his neighbour to death with a bag of Pokemon cards and a plank of wood has been jailed for life, The Independentreports.
50-year-old Simon Wilkinson was killed by his neighbour, Andrew Hague, late last year in a “ferocious and brutal” attack after he was called a “nonce” by the father-of-one.
Described by jurors as “pure evil”, Hague also repeatedly punched and stamped on his victim during a sustained assault outside his flat on Fox Hill Road, Sheffield, on August 2, 2022. At the sentencing earlier this week, judge Sarah Wright said: “This was an unremitting and merciless attack upon a neighbour of yours where you took the decision during the savage assault to kill him.”
Prosecuting barrister, Laura Marshall, told the court that prior to carrying out the attack, Hague and Mr. Wilkinson had been involved in a verbal altercation with each other, during which Wilkinson reportedly called Hague a “nonce b*****d”. After his arrest, Hague told police that, after the initial attack, he had “felt bad” for Wilkinson and returned to the scene to try to end his life.
Marshall also added that Hague had a history of mental health issues and had past convictions for violence, and had been self medicating with cannabis prior to the attack. Wright added that the case was a “stark reminder” of the dangers of cannabis use in such circumstances, explaining that Hague’s mental illness was not severe enough for a defence of diminished responsibility or insanity.
Det Insp John Fitzgibbons, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “No sentence passed can ease the grief and pain that Mr Wilkinson’s family and friends have faced daily since he was murdered, but I hope that with the conclusion of our investigation and legal proceedings today they feel that they now have some justice for their loved one.”
