Man jailed for life after murdering a Swindon grandfather as he was walking home

• Paul Warren attacked Martin Brown as he was walking home.

A man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years for the murder of Swindon grandfather Martin Brown.

Paul Warren, 25, of Victoria Road, Old Town, appeared in Bristol Crown Court today (July 20).

On January 27, 2022, Warren violently attacked 54-year-old Martin as he was walking home in the Beechcroft Road area.

Martin was left in the street with severe injuries. It was several hours later that an off-duty paramedic spotted Martin on his way to work and took him in his own vehicle to hospital.

Martin never recovered and died 11 days later.

Warren was initially charged with robbery which he pleaded guilty to at an earlier hearing. Earlier this month, he appeared in court again charged with murder and entered another guilty plea.

Today, the judge handed him a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years. He was also sentenced to a minimum term of four years for robbery, which will run concurrently.

Det Chief Insp Phil Walker from Wiltshire Police said: “Martin had missed the last bus home after doing a grocery shop at a local supermarket so he decided to walk to his home address in Queensfield.

"Tragically, he was targeted by Warren who launched a violent and sustained attack on him, repeatedly punching him to the head until he handed over his wallet and provided the PIN number to his bank card.

“Martin was left seriously injured  - we believe he attempted to continue on his journey home, but collapsed in the street due to the severity of his injuries. He was later found and taken to hospital where he tragically died a few days later.

“Officers continued with their enquiries and were able to piece together Martin’s final movements and through CCTV enquiries were able to identify Warren as the man behind the attack – he was arrested initially on suspicion of robbery, before a charge of murder was authorised after Martin sadly died as a result of his injuries.

“This was a completely random attack and Warren’s actions were totally cowardly – he has devastated a family and all of those who knew Martin.

“Violence of this severity will not be tolerated and we are committed to reducing violent incidents within our county and creating safer public spaces so people do not feel fearful when out and about in Wiltshire."