Vintage car expert ‘pleaded for help' on CCTV before being ‘killed by grandson, 33, after all-day drinking session'
GRANDFATHER 'MURDER' Vintage car expert 'pleaded for help' on CCTV before being 'killed by grandson, 33, after all-day drinking session'
A GRANDFATHER was seen pleading for help on CCTV before he was allegedly killed by his grandson after an "all-day drinking session".
Vintage car expert John Brown, 81, died six days after being attacked by Jakob Walpole, 33, a trial was told.
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John Brown, 81, died after suffering an irreversible bleed on the brain
Credit: PA
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Jakob Walpole, 33, allegedly attacked his "fragile" grandfather after a day of heavy drinking
Credit: Alamy
Walpole denies murder, manslaughter, breaching a restraining order and two assaults.
At the trial into John's death, held at Warwick Crown Court, jurors heard how Walpole inflicted fatal injuries on his "frail and vulnerable" grandad John.
They were also shown "haunting" footage of the "world-renowned" Jaguar restoration expert pleading for help on a security camera before he was attacked.
He could be seen waving at the camera - said to be linked to his daughter, Walpole's mum - while in the garden before going back inside his bungalow.
Less than four minutes later, the 33-year-old can be seen emerging from the two-bedroom home, having allegedly "set about his own grandad".
The 33-year-old then allegedly went to a working men's club where he glassed a customer and attacked a bar worker.
At the opening of the case on Wednesday, the court heard how Walpole's mother, Lynda Brown, had requested a restraining order against him.
Jurors were told the defendant's treatment of his family had taken a serious turn since the Covid pandemic and he was banned from the road to his grandparent's house.
Mrs Brown had also set up CCTV cameras around the property to protect them.
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC told the court how Walpole would often go to his grandparent's house drunk.
Mr Brown was described as "fragile" after being diagnosed with dementia, while his wife was bedbound.
The day of the attack, last November, the court heard Walpole had started drinking vodka at some time before 9am, and "continued throughout the day".
He drank more when he went to watch a Coventry City football match and then spent two hours at a pub afterwards.
Walpole turned up at his grandparents' at 8.30pm and they allowed him inside.
A short time later Mr Brown was seen waving at the security cameras, which had been linked to his daughter's phone.
Mr Duck told the court: "What's plain is that he was gesturing to the camera.
"The prosecution say he was aware his daughter may see and it was a gesture, a desire for assistance.
"(Mr Brown) was a frail man struggling with dementia but it's plain, the prosecution say, that there was a problem. He wanted help."
The 81-year-old went back inside, and Walpole left the property four minutes later.
He was heard telling his mother on the phone "I've hit your Papi" before he went to the Bulkington Working Men's Club.
There, jurors were shown CCTV of the defendant launching an attack on Dennis Hopson and smashing a glass over the back of his head.
Walpole then allegedly assaulted a staff member who tried to kick him out.
The prosecution told the court there was no argument for "self-defence" and that Walpole had "no regret or contrition".
Meanwhile, at Mr Brown's property, police bodycam footage showed officers arrive to find the pensioner with facial injuries.
He was rushed to hospital but suffered an "irreversible" bleed on the brain and died on November 29.
When officers arrested Walpole and showed him the CCTV evidence at both the bungalow and pub, the defendant denied all knowledge of alleged events.
Walpole, Bulkington, denies Mr Brown's murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter.
He has also pleaded not guilty to breaching a restraining order, assault by beating and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
In a tribute to Mr Brown, his devastated family said he was a "loving husband, father, and grandfather, but also a true gentleman, a pillar of the community, and a world-renowned figure in the Jaguar restoration industry".
They added: "He was a true craftsman, renowned worldwide for his expertise and passion for his work.
"His reputation in this industry was unmatched—John's attention to detail, his skill, and his dedication to excellence earned him respect and admiration across the globe."
The trial continues.
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