TWO men who beat a Bradford man to death in "an act of pure evil" have been jailed for life for his murder.

Clifford Honeyman and Andrew Stevenson attacked Richard Walker in his flat in Scarborough, inflicting fatal injuries to the 50-year-old.

Honeyman, 42, will serve at least 28 years in jail before he is eligible for release, and Stevenson, 39, will serve a minimum of 25 years.

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Following a lengthy trial at Leeds Crown Court, both men, who denied the murder, were found guilty by a jury.

During the trial, the court was told the attack was very violent, prolonged, and totally unnecessary.

In a written statement, Mr Walker's family described the crime as "an act of pure evil".

They said: "Our family feels a huge sense of relief at the guilty verdict the jury has delivered in this trial.

“Richard’s murder was a callous and unnecessary act of pure evil. Sitting through the trial every day has been an unbelievably harrowing experience that we will never forget.

“Over the past five months our family has witnessed the best and worse in people and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us throughout these months in our journey to find justice for Richard.

“Special thanks go to Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, Detective Constable Gill Hamilton and the whole of the Major Investigation Team.

“It was their dedication and tireless work that made the case and brought it to court. They care enormously about the work they do and we would like to convey our heartfelt thanks to them for their outstanding support.

“Thanks also to John Elvidge QC and his junior, David Lamb, who prosecuted the case. We were very fortunate to have had them prosecuting and owe them a debt of gratitude.

“We would like praise the justice system and extend our gratitude to the jury who have seen through the lies and deceit of these two men whilst enduring the harrowing evidence we have all been subjected to throughout the last three weeks, and ensured they have been held to account for taking Richard from us.

“As a family we would also like to thank our huge safety net of family and friends who have helped and supported us all throughout the last five months.

“Nothing can bring Richard back and our family will never be the same again but we are relieved justice has been done.”

A third man, Steven Atkinson, 55, was also jailed for ten years for robbing another man with Stevenson and Honeyman.

Following the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn said: "I am very pleased with the sentence passed as it reflects the extremely violent and totally unnecessary manner in which Richard Walker died.

“The family have had to endure a three-week trial in which they have listened to the catastrophic injuries suffered by Richard at the hands of Stevenson and Honeyman, two violent individuals.

“The family have acted with the utmost dignity and it makes all the hard work and effort of the team worthwhile to at least provide them with some justice.

“The conviction of Stevenson, Honeyman and Atkinson for robbery and the evidence gathered showed these men had a complete disregard for the vulnerability for their victim.

“This has been a difficult investigation as the evidence has not been easy to obtain from those in the community who live similar chaotic lifestyles as Richard and the defendants in this case.

“We do thank the public for their help and support in this case and I also wish to thank the excellent service we have been given by our forensic and pathology experts who spent days at the scene of Richard’s murder, meticulously searching for the evidence, and in the manner it was then presented.

"I’d also like to acknowledge the prosecution barrister and his team for the way they presented their evidence.”

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