Man jailed for attacking frail grandad, 81, who died six days later

Yahoo

4 days ago

A man has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars after fatally assaulting his frail and elderly grandfather, followed by attacks on two individuals at a working men's club.
Warwick Crown Court was told that John Brown, an 81 year old esteemed Jaguar restoration specialist, succumbed to injuries six days following the assault in his residence by Jakob Walpole, aged 33, on the evening of November 23 last year.
The jury convicted Walpole, from School Road, Bulkington, Warwickshire, of manslaughter, violating a restraining order, and two counts of assault, although he was acquitted of murder after a trial spanning three weeks.
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On Monday, Walpole received his prison term, with an additional two years on extended licence.
Dressed in a grey tracksuit and bowing his head, Walpole remained seated in the dock as Judge Kristina Montgomery KC delivered his sentence, remarking: "(Mr Brown) was an exceptionally small man in deteriorating physical health who had been diagnosed with dementia.
"Your visits (to Mr Brown's home) were made to exploit his love... by taking money from both your grandparents to fund your lifestyle. You were an intimidating and persistent nuisance in their lives."
It emerged in court that on the night of the attack, Mr Brown confronted Walpole, who was demanding money, before the senior citizen was hit on the head.
As his mother Lynda Brown read out a victim impact statement in court, Walpole repeatedly interrupted with cries of "shut up" from the dock.
Ms Brown expressed: "The tears we have shed could fill buckets and I live with the knowledge my son caused the death of my beloved father.
"Even though he's been in prison, we are still in fear. Mum is terrified he will be back knocking at the door or her bedroom window.
"She lives in this fear constantly and we fear the day he's released again."
Mr Brown was a familiar face in the local community, having operated a successful car panel and body repair business due to his proficiency with vintage cars.
Presenting the Crown's case last month, prosecutor Michael Duck KC stated that Walpole had been "drinking throughout the day" and committed two assaults at Bulkington Working Men's Club roughly an hour after attacking his grandfather.
Walpole purchased a small bottle of vodka from a shop in Bulkington around 9am, before heading to a match at Coventry City's home ground in the afternoon.
Following the attack on his grandfather, Walpole cracked a pint glass over the back of a club member's head in an incident captured on the "clearest possible" CCTV footage, then assaulted a bar worker while being physically ejected from the club.
Due to Walpole's "deteriorating" behaviour, Mr Brown's daughter installed security cameras at her parents' residence in St James Gardens, Bulkington, and the elderly man was recorded in a "haunting" video signalling for help towards the camera prior to the attack.
At the outset of the defendant's trial, the prosecutor declared: "The reality is that on the 23rd of November, in drink, Jakob Walpole descended to a tirade of violence."