Brothers jailed for fishing trip killing

Two bullying brothers were jailed for life today for murdering a man during a fishing trip after he had seen one of their girlfriends taking a bath, an Old Bailey court heard today.

The decomposed body of Vincent Barnes, 22, was found at the bottom of a mud bank at a fishing lake in Noak Hill, Essex, three months later.

He had been strangled, an Old Bailey court was told.

Two lengths of cord - like shoelaces - which had been used as a ligature were found round his neck, said Jeffrey Pegden QC, prosecuting.

Lee Whitehead, 22, and his brother Tony, 23, both from Romford, Essex, had denied murdering Mr Barnes between August 5 and 8 last year. Tony Whitehead changed his plea to guilty during the trial and his brother was convicted by the jury.

Mr Pegden said that Mr Barnes, who was "a vulnerable and disadvantaged member of society", was living at the Whiteheads' family home at the time.

"In the weeks and months leading up to his killing, he had been systematically bullied and assaulted by these two defendants.

"Those assaults and the consequent injuries were witnessed by others on occasions. Part of the reasons for the assaults seems to have been an allegation that Mr Barnes had walked in on Lee Whitehead's girlfriend while she was in the bath.

"To put it bluntly, he might have fancied her and it caused the brothers resentment, to put it mildly," said Mr Pegden.

Mr Barnes had gone with the brothers and three others on the fishing trip.

"Six people went. Only five returned. Mr Barnes was strangled in the course of the night. His body was not found for three months."