Two men have been found guilty of killing a man in drink-fuelled attacks.
David William Dunn, 32, was found guilty of murdering Darran Almond, 42, from The Graig area of Pontypridd , on February 28 this year.
Stephen John Richardson, 43, was found guilty of his manslaughter.
Richardson had to be taken from the dock as the jury of five men and seven women delivered its verdicts to allow Dunn, who had to be restrained by four officers, to be removed.
There were also emotional reactions from the public gallery from Mr Almond’s mother, supported by her son Dean, who had sat in court every day and listened to the harrowing evidence of how her son died.
'Blamed each other'
Richardson, of no fixed abode, and Dunn, of the Morning Star Inn, Llantrisant Road, Pontypridd, had both denied murder and each blamed the other but were found guilty of Mr Almond’s death following a 16-day trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.
Mr Almond had been subjected to a series of sustained drunken and drug-fuelled assaults by both men at separate times on that day, which lead to his death, firstly by Dunn in his room and then by Richardson in Mr Almond’s room.
Mr Almond suffered catastrophic injuries, including broken ribs, a jaw broken in two places, a torn kidney and a brain haemorrhage. The court had heard that Dunn had laid into Mr Almond after suspecting he had slept with his girlfriend, Georgina Dowey.
The two men had gone to her home for dinner but Dunn had left leaving Mr Almond behind, telling him: “You’re having it. I’m an animal. No one knows what I’m capable of.”
Mr Almond returned to the Morning Star Inn, where all three men were residents, the following day after a series of text messages had passed between him and Dunn.
Dunn’s texts had been abusive, telling Mr Almond: “I want words with you. When you get back I’m having words with you.”
He sent messages to Ms Dowey telling her: “I’m going to knock Darran clean out lol.”
'Unwarranted and unprovoked attack'
When Mr Almond arrived back at the Morning Star Inn and went into Dunn’s room, Dunn went for him, hitting him repeatedly for “disrespecting” him by staying at Ms Dowey’s home.
“Dunn was determined to punish Mr Almond. He launched into an unwarranted and unprovoked attack on the unfortunate Mr Almond,” said Christopher Clee QC, prosecuting.
He then humiliated Mr Almond making him clean up his own blood and sending a photograph of him to Ms Dowey telling her: “ I think I brock [sic] his jaw on both sides.
“Darran is in a hell of a mess. I f****d him up. He can’t swallow tidy lol.”
'One of the boys dealt with him'
Mr Almond spent the majority of the next 90 minutes in and out of Mr Dunn’s room before going into his own room. Mr Clee told the jury that over 30 minutes Richardson made 13 visits to Mr Almond’s room and that it was during that time he assaulted him.
In later text messages to Ms Dowey Dunn said: “ I think Darran might be dead lol. One of the boys dealt with him and he’s in a bad way lol.”
The court heard Richardson, who didn’t give evidence, has a record for violent assaults, including one where he used the blunt end of an axe to hit someone and could be heard on the 999 tape: “”He [Mr Almond] has been assaulted. I f*****g beat the f*** out of him.”
Dunn has 26 convictions for 46 offences, including rape, possessing drugs, harassment, having an offensive weapon and affray.
Both men will be sentenced on Thursday, December 3.
see- http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/two-guilty-killing-darran-almond-10527622
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