Latest news with #Bulkington
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Telegraph
Vintage car expert ‘killed by grandson who had post-Covid behaviour problems'
A Jaguar restoration expert was killed by his grandson whose behaviour had 'deteriorated' since the Covid pandemic, a court heard. Jakob Walpole, 33, inflicted fatal injuries on his 'frail and vulnerable' grandfather John Brown, 81, and then went to a working men's club where he glassed a customer and attacked a bar worker, a trial was told. Warwick Crown Court heard Brown died six days after being attacked by Mr Walpole, who denies murder, manslaughter, breaching a restraining order and two assaults. Opening the Crown's case on Wednesday, Michael Duck KC alleged that Mr Walpole had been 'drinking throughout the day' and committed two assaults at Bulkington Working Men's Club around an hour after attacking his grandfather on the night of Nov 23 last year. Brown was well-known in the community as a vintage car expert as he had run a successful car panel and body repair business, the court heard. 'Intended really serious bodily harm' Mr Duck told the jury: 'As far as Jakob Walpole was concerned – with everything he knew about his grandfather, his frailty and his vulnerability – when he attacked him during the late evening he intended at the very least to cause him really serious bodily harm. 'He [Brown] tragically died from the very serious injuries that Jakob Walpole had inflicted upon him.' Mr Walpole had engaged in a 'very significant day of drinking', having bought a small bottle of vodka from a shop in Bulkington at about 9am, before attending a match at Coventry City's home stadium in the afternoon. He is alleged to have smashed a glass over the back of a club member's head in an incident caught on CCTV. Regarding the alleged attack with a glass, Mr Duck said: 'There can be no suggestion he [Mr Walpole] was acting in self-defence or anything of that sort.' He also alleged that Mr Walpole then made 'physical and direct contact' with a bar worker as he was physically removed from the club. Behaviour was 'deteriorating' post-Covid Mr Duck said there had been concern about Mr Walpole's 'deteriorating' behaviour since the Covid pandemic, which led Brown's daughter to install security cameras at her parents' home in St James Gardens, Bulkington. The cameras 'will provide important evidence' about the murder charge, said Mr Duck. During the Crown's opening remarks, the jury were shown what Mr Duck said were 'haunting' video images of Brown in his rear garden gesturing towards a security camera that he knew his daughter could view remotely. Mr Duck said: 'You may think it is a gesture of desire for assistance.' Timed at 8.54pm, the footage showed Brown returning inside his house, where the Crown allege the pensioner was attacked during the following two minutes. Mr Walpole, who was filmed leaving the address at 8.56pm on the same camera, is alleged to have told drinkers at the working men's club that he had given his grandfather 'a good clouting' and 'the next time you see him he will have a red face'. Mr Duck told the jury: 'The reality is that on the 23rd of November, in drink, Jakob Walpole descended to a tirade of violence.'
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Jaguar restoration expert, 81, 'gestured for help' from daughter on CCTV before his grandson, 33, launched fatal attack after all-day drinking session, court told
A 'world-renowned' Jaguar restoration expert was seen pleading for help on a security camera – before he was fatally attacked by his own grandson, a court heard. Jurors were shown 'haunting' footage of John Brown, 81, waving at the camera in his garden - which was 'linked to his daughter', Walpole's mother – before the pensioner went back inside the bungalow. Less than four minutes later, Jakob Walpole, 33, was seen emerging from the two-bedroom property, having allegedly 'set about his own grandfather'. A court heard he then headed to a nearby working men's club, where Mr Brown had been a regular, and assaulted two men – smashing a glass over the back of the head of one of the victims. The court heard Walpole's behaviour towards his family had deteriorated since the pandemic, to the extent that his mother, Lynda Brown, sought a restraining order banning him from a road leading to his grandparents' home. Mrs Brown also installed the cameras at her parents' home - which the court heard would provide 'important evidence' of what went on at the address on the evening of the attack. Prosecutor Michael Duck KC told the jury of seven men and five women that Walpole would frequently turn up 'in drink' at the bungalow where 'frail' Mr Brown lived with his 'bedbound' wife. Jurors were told Mr Brown was well known in his village of Bulkington, Warwickshire, for running a workshop repairing vintage cars, but had recently been diagnosed with dementia. The court heard the assaults took place last November after Walpole had embarked on a near all-day drinking session, starting before 9am when he purchased a bottle of vodka from a local convenience store. Mr Duck said Walpole was 'drinking from a very early stage…and, in effect, continued throughout the day'. The prosecutor said Walpole's 'very significant day of drinking' was punctuated by him attending a Coventry City football match. He then spent two hours in a pub near his grandparents' home before arriving at their bungalow just after 8.30pm. Walpole was let inside, but a short time later his grandfather emerged, waving at the camera. Mr Duck said: '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.' Mr Brown went back inside his property and four minutes later Walpole walked away from the address. The court heard after leaving the scene Walpole also called his mother and boasted: 'I've hit your Papi', a statement Mr Duck said was 'important because it's the absolute truth'. Warwick Crown Court heard he then headed to the Bulkington Working Men's Club. Jurors were shown footage of drunken Walpole attacking working men's club member Dennis Hopson less than an hour after the attack on Mr Brown. The footage showed Walpole approaching the drinker from behind and smashing a glass over the back of his head. A barman who then attempted to remove Walpole from the premises was also allegedly assaulted. Mr Duck told jurors that in relation to the alleged assault with the glass: 'There can be no suggestion he was acting in self-defence or anything of that sort'. He said: 'These incidents took place on the same day as the attack (on Mr Brown), in fact within an hour of it.' Mr Duck said Walpole 'carried out a vicious assault on his own grandfather' and showed 'no regret or contrition', even telling drinkers in the club that he had 'lamped' the pensioner. Mr Duck told how minutes before the attack on Mr Brown, Walpole's mother had called 999 after becoming 'sufficiently concerned' by footage of her son acting aggressively outside her parents' home. By the time officers attended, it is alleged Walpole had already carried out the attack and fled. Police bodycam footage showed Mr Brown at the door with clear facial injuries. The court heard the pensioner was taken to hospital but over the following days the extent of his injuries became clear. Mr Duck said the blows inflicted by Walpole caused an 'irreversible' bleed on the brain and Mr Brown died in the early hours of November 29 last year. Mr Ducker said that when Walpole was later arrested he told officers to F*** Off. During interview he said he couldn't remember the incident with his grandfather. He was shown footage of the glass attack inside the working men's club but denied responsibility. He then gave further no comment interviews. Mr Duck said Mr Brown was struck more than once, suffering injuries to his face, neck and under his arms. 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. Mr Brown was described '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' following his death. His family said in a statement that he was 'a true craftsman, renowned worldwide for his expertise and passion for his work'. He was said to have built and restored 'some of the most iconic Jaguars, including the legendary XK series. '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.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- The Independent
Drinker killed his grandfather and glassed man in club, jury told
A 33-year-old man inflicted fatal injuries on his frail and vulnerable grandfather and then went to a working men's club where he glassed a customer and attacked a bar worker, a murder trial has heard. Warwick Crown Court was told well-known Jaguar restoration expert John Brown, aged 81, died six days after being attacked by Jakob Walpole, who denies murder, manslaughter, breaching a restraining order and two assaults. Walpole, of School Road, Bulkington, Warwickshire, examined court files in the dock as prosecutor Michael Duck KC told jurors security cameras in the victim's bungalow provided important evidence of the defendant's 'responsibility' for the killing. Opening the Crown's case on Wednesday, Mr Duck alleged that Walpole had been 'drinking throughout the day' and committed two assaults at Bulkington Working Men's Club around an hour after attacking his grandfather on the night of November 23 last year. Mr Duck told jurors: 'John Brown is Jakob Walpole's grandfather. 'He was a frail man and he had recently been diagnosed with the early stages of dementia. 'He was plainly a vulnerable individual and the evidence will demonstrate that this defendant was acutely aware of that.' Mr Brown was well-known in the local community, having run a successful car panel and body repair business due to his expertise in respect of vintage cars, the court heard. Mr Duck added: 'It is plain that as far as Mr Brown and his grandson were concerned, they were obviously well-known to each other.' Explaining why prosecutors allege Walpole is guilty of murder, Mr Duck told the jury: 'We say that for this reason. 'As far as Jakob Walpole was concerned – with everything he knew about his grandfather, his frailty and his vulnerability – when he attacked him during the late evening he intended at the very least to cause him really serious bodily harm. 'He (Mr Brown) tragically died from the very serious injuries that Jakob Walpole had inflicted upon him.' Walpole had engaged in a 'very significant day of drinking', having bought a small bottle of vodka from a shop in Bulkington at about 9am, before attending a match at Coventry City's home stadium in the afternoon. The court heard he is alleged to have smashed a glass over the back of a club member's head in an incident caught on the 'clearest possible' CCTV footage. 'There can be no suggestion he (Walpole) was acting in self-defence or anything of that sort,' Mr Duck said of the alleged attack involving a glass. Alleging that Walpole then made 'physical and direct contact' with a bar worker as he was physically removed from the club, Mr Duck said there had been concern about his 'deteriorating' behaviour since the Covid pandemic, leading to Mr Brown's daughter installing security cameras at her parents' home in St James Gardens, Bulkington. The cameras 'will provide important evidence' about the murder charge, said Mr Duck, who also told jurors that Walpole's grandmother struggled with her hearing and was bed-bound. During the Crown's opening remarks, the jury were shown what Mr Duck said were 'haunting' video images of Mr Brown in his rear garden gesturing towards a security camera he knew his daughter could view remotely. 'You may think it is a gesture of desire for assistance,' Mr Duck said. Timed at 8.54pm, the footage showed Mr Brown returning inside his house, where the Crown allege the pensioner was attacked during the following two minutes. Walpole, who left the address at 8.56pm and was filmed on the same security camera, is alleged to have told drinkers at the working men's club that he had given his grandfather 'a good clouting' and 'the next time you see him he will have a red face'. Concluding his opening address, Mr Duck told the jury of seven men and five women: 'The reality is that on the 23rd of November, in drink, Jakob Walpole descended to a tirade of violence.'
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Warwickshire man says Viking support group boosts mental health
A man says a global mental health support group that "channels the Viking state of being" has helped him to feel less alone. The Midgard Vikings Brotherhood aims to provide a space for men to come together and support each other to overcome difficulties they face. Kevin Lyndon from Bulkington, Warwickshire, joined the group six months ago after struggling to balance friendships and family are encouraged to display the values of "the Viking way", such as respecting one another, forging strong bonds, and growing facial hair. And that, Mr Lyndon said, had created "an open and happy place", where making friends and fundraising for charity had "a fantastic effect" on mental health. Mr Lyndon said the group regularly chatted on instant messaging platforms, about all sorts of topics. "There's people from all walks of life, with all different hobbies so there is always someone there who you can reach out to and talk to," he added."You go on there and have a bit of a rant and find out there's 50 or 60 other people in the same boat as you."You know it's not you, you're not failing, it's something that everybody is going through." He said the group "offered comfort", as well as "camaraderie, brotherhood and banter".Mr Lyndon recently met some of his fellow Brotherhood members for the first time at a gig in Blackpool. "It was nice to finally meet them but I felt like I'd known them all my life and we instantly clicked."He added that the support group planned to host a gathering for members from across the world in York next year and said the only requirement to join the group was "any type of facial hair". Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Welfare needs reform despite U-turn
A grandmother living with a degenerative disease says the government's U-turn on personal independence payment (Pip) will still not help those in need, as "complete reform" is Thomas, 59, from Bulkington, near Bedworth, has had muscular dystrophy for nearly 30 years, receiving disability benefits ever since. On Tuesday, the Labour government said it would not change Pip rules until the recommendations of a review could be implemented, having won a vote on its benefits bill following last-minute concessions to party rebels. However, Ms Thomas said that despite some of the benefit cuts being reversed, the "one size fits all" welfare system remained "broken". She is no longer able to walk and is cared for primarily by her husband, but said the current system categorised her in the same group as a person who "had some difficulty walking around"."Others get the same level as me, but have half the disability. It's a constant fight to survive," she government needed to reclassify "the impacts of disabilities" in order for it to improve, Ms Thomas said. She said it was "upsetting" to have to ask for help, but any cut to Pip would be "devastating". The government previously announced current claimants would be protected from stricter eligibility changes to disability assessments have been proposed for anyone claiming Pip for the first time after the recommendations of a current review are implemented. The proposals require those applying to score at least four points for a single activity, rather than across a range of different ones, with assessments scoring everyday activities, such as washing hair, from zero to 12, for no difficulty to most difficulty. "There needs to be complete reform not just an alteration to Pip points," Ms Thomas said. 'Divide in the community' The government previously defended the proposals, after it pointed to steep rises in the numbers claiming benefits and said making changes was the only way to ensure the system remained sustainable in the Mel Smith, from the Coventry charity Grapevine that supports people with special needs, said the proposed reforms still raised concerns."What does that do for the disabled community, you'll get one group who will be eligible and then other people who won't," she argued the new criteria was therefore "unfair" and future claimants would "lose out on vital support". Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
