Brunshaw double murder trial - jury out for five hours

The bodies of 55-year-olds James Atkinson and Neil Gilmore were discovered in a flat in Waddington Avenue, on the Brunshaw estate, last October. Both had head injuries.

Burnley men Kenneth Howson and Daniel Waddington are on trial at Preston Crown Court. Howson (25), of Williams Road, Burnley, and Waddington (23), of Pine Street, both deny two charges of murder.

Today, the jury deliberated for five hours before the court adjourned until tomorrow.

It has been claimed Howson somehow blamed Mr Atkinson, the former partner of his mum Pamela Brown. She died after an apparent insulin overdose in the weeks before his own death and it was alleged he felt Mr Atkinson could have done more to save her.

In his evidence, Howson has accepted having hit Mr Atkinson with an empty wine bottle as the other man was “doing his head in” talking about his dead mother. He said Mr Atkinson was still alive after that, but then his co-defendant went on to hit him.

Waddington told the court he had copied Howson’s actions by hitting Mr Gilmore four or five times with a stick. He described himself as being very drunk at the time. He insisted he stopped when Mr Gilmore told him “leave me alone” and waited outside the door for Howson to leave.

There’s more on this case in Friday’s newspaper.