Killer jailed for life for the murder of vulnerable man Lee Irving

A "brutal bully" who battered a disabled man to death over a period of daysbefore getting a vulnerable accomplice to dump his body by a footpath has been jailed for a minimum of 23 years.

Victim Lee Irving's profound learning difficulties made him a target when hecame under the influence of James Wheatley, 29, and his chaotic household in Kenton, Newcastle.

The vulnerable 24-year-old thought he was with friends, but Wheatley repeatedly beat him over a number of days, stamping on his ribs so badly experts likened his injuries to someone in a car crash.

Barry Imray, 35, was originally accused of Lee's murder or manslaughter, but was found not guilty.

He was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult and sentenced to three years.

Wheatley's mother Julie Mills, 52, was sentenced to eight years in prison for causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult, while 22-year-old Nicole Lawrence - Wheatley's former partner - was sentenced to four years for the same offence.

Wheatley's mother Julie Mills, 52, his then girlfriend Nicole Lawrence, 22, and his Imray, who also has learning difficulties, did nothing to protect Mr Irving.

When police called at the house on another matter, they were kept away from Mr Irving.

Mills gave him prescription drugs including morphine to sedate him and Lawrence suggested taking Mr Irving to Durham and dumping him there once his condition improved.

But he died in June last year and Wheatley told Imray to wheel the body in apushchair and dump it.

Imray only took the body 800m before leaving him on a footpath beside the A1.

He made a weak attempt to claim he had only just found the body.

Mr Justice Soole, sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court, jailed Wheatley for life with a minimum term of 23 years for murder.

He said: "You are a vicious and brutal bully, prone to sudden and explosiveacts of sustained violence."

One aggravating factor was the vulnerability of his victim.

The judge said: "He was both unable and unwilling to resist and you knew it."There is a special revulsion for the assault and abuse of the vulnerable."

During a two-month trial, the jury heard Wheatley intended to get cash from Mr Irving's account and "hammer loads" on his card.

The judge jailed Mills for eight years for causing or allowing the death of avulnerable adult and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.Lawrence was convicted of the same offences and was jailed for four years.Imray had previously admitted perverting the course of justice and wasconvicted of causing or allowing Mr Irving's death and was jailed for threeyears.