Recovering drug addict murdered as 'punishment over a debt'

A recovering drug addict was murdered by a group who subjected him to a ‘punishment beating’ over a debt, a jury was told.

Ian Bendall, from Farnworth, was kicked and stamped on during the ‘brutal’ attack on June 9 this year, a trial at Manchester Crown Court heard. He died four days later.

Alexander Smith, also known as Colgan, 28, his sister Kathryn Colgan, 24, William Coughlan, 25, all of Ramsay Avenue, Farnworth, Ellis Hampson, 19, of Oakfield Avenue, Little Hulton, and a 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, all deny his murder.

Opening the trial, which is expected to last six weeks, prosecuting QC Michelle Colborne said Mr Bendall, 43, known locally as ‘Taffy’, was admitted to hospital on June 12 complaining of severe chest pains.

She said:

Miss Colborne told the jury:

Describing the events leading up to his death, Miss Colborne said the victim was a recovering drug addict who has started taking drugs again in the weeks before he died.

She added:

The court was told that Mr Bendall “let Smith and his group down, whether he had dipped into the stash or not been forthcoming with the money raised by their sale”.

On the morning of June 9 Bendall was tracked down to a friend’s house in Tennyson Road, Farnworth, where a ‘furious’ Smith and others went ‘mob-handed’ and demanded he be given over, it was said.

The victim left with the teenager accused, who the court heard threatened him with a knife. That was the 16-year-old’s last involvement.

Soon after, said Miss Colborne, there was a rendezvous outside a nearby post office before Colgan and Coughlan set off in a car ‘in convoy’ with Smith’s vehicle which by then also contained Hampson and the victim.

The two cars drove close to each other and there was mobile phone contact between Hampson and Coughlan, the jury heard.

The prosecutor said:

The court heard that the cars drove to land behind Century Mill in George Street, Farnworth, where Mr Bendall was subjected to a ‘deliberate and severe attack’.“

The assault was interrupted and Mr Bendall was later dumped near his home in Masefield Drive.

Miss Colborne said:

In police interviews Smith and Hampson denied they were involved in the attack.

The teenager said he bought a bike from the victim on the day of the attack. Coughlan and Coglan also deny any involvement.

The hearing continues.