A man was beaten to death with a hammer during a savage attack by two of his neighbours in a row over rubbish bins. Franklin Ingram - who was better known as Frank - was killed by Martin Carty and Mark Sothcott, both 56 and from Yeovil, Somerset, at his flat in June. It took more than 18 hours for either of them to call the emergency services, and when Carty did phone 999 he falsely claimed to have found Frank deceased on his sofa.
After a three-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, the jury unanimously found both men guilty of murder. The jury were told that on the afternoon of 22 June, there had been an exchange of words after Carty had left rubbish near Mr Ingram's flat. A CCTV recording was played in which 68-year-old Mr Ingram later described Carty as an 'idiot' to another individual - stating he was going to contact the housing association responsible for the flats. The prosecution said shortly before 11pm however, an 'angry' Mr Ingram went up to Carty’s flat with a hammer.
Both Carty and Sothcott were inside the address. Jurors were told Mr Ingram and Carty became involved in a row before a fight between the three men ensued, in which the victim was headbutted and struck with the hammer. A subsequent pathology report revealed Mr Ingram had sustained injuries to his face, head, torso, arms and legs. Carty called the ambulance service at about 6.40pm the following day to say he had found Mr Ingram deceased.
