Son of Northampton man killed due to so-called "torture beating" speaks to ITV Anglia after trial collapses

• Watch Matthew Hudson's full report

The son of a scrap metal dealer who died after a so-called "torture beating" by intruders hunting for cash has spoken to ITV Anglia.

74-year-old David Brickwood was found stabbed and beaten in his home in Lindsay Avenue, Abington, in the early hours of September 26, 2015.

He'd been attacked during a robbery.

This week, after a five day trial at Birmingham Crown Court, a 27-year-old man was cleared of murdering Mr Brickwood after a judge ruled that DNA evidence found on a window frame seal was "plainly insufficient" to prove the Crown's case.

Cameron St Rose was also found not guilty of burglary after a jury heard Mr Brickwood was killed in a "torture beating" by the intruders.

The court was told a "one in a billion" DNA match with St Rose could have been the result of his presence at the scene, or of secondary transfer such as someone else using a glove he had previously worn.

That means because several people are thought to have been involved, the defendant could have interacted with one of them somewhere else leaving his DNA on them and it could then have been left at the crime scene by somebody else. 

After granting an application that St Rose, of Forest Gate in east London, had no case to answer, trial judge Mr Justice Pepperall instructed jurors to return not guilty verdicts on counts of murder and burglary.

Speaking to ITV News Anglia's Matthew Hudson, Dale Brickwood told us what a terrible impact the incident has had on his family.

The family says they feel let down by the police who they say built up their hopes knowing their case was weak.

They can't let the matter rest.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: