Two men have been jailed for life for murdering a father-of-one in an unprovoked attack.
Stephen O’Donnell, 30, and Robert Muir, 30, killed George Calvert by punching and kicking him and stamping on his head at Glen Street, Paisley, Renfrewshire, on March 19, 2019.
Mr Calvert, 48, died from a massive brain injury hours after the brutal attack. He had 63 injuries – 26 of them to his head and neck.
Part of the attack took place inside Mr Calvert’s home and his brutal killers left him dying on the landing outside the flat.
At the High Court in Glasgow, judge Lady Rae ordered each to serve 20 years in prison before they are eligible to apply for parole.
Lady Rae told O’Donnell and Muir: “I detect little or no remorse. You, O’Donnell, tried to minimise your involvement and Muir, you said you have no memory of events.”
At the time of the murder both men were on community payback orders – O’Donnell for drink-driving and driving while disqualified and Muir for an assault with a bottle.
Prosecutor Graeme Jessop said: “They both had appointments for the community payback orders that morning – but were sent away.”
The court heard both men then headed to O’Donnell’s flat where they sat drinking and, in the afternoon, murdered Mr Calvert.
O’Donnell , who was in a relationship with 19-year-old Kisteen Templeton, feared that Mr Calvert would tell her jealous ex-boyfriend.
Before heading to Mr Calvert’s flat, O’Donnell told his friend Muir: “George saw me and her walking about and I wouldn’t be surprised if he tells.”
Muir replied: “’He’ll no be saying f*** all to any c***’,” and added: “’Don’t worry. I’ll back you 110 per cent’.”
The sound of the horrific beating and Mr Calvert whimpering was heard by people in neighbouring flats.
Minutes afterwards, O’Donnell told Ms Templeton: “We’ve just done George in.”
O’Donnell, who lived in the same block of flats, tried to fool police by telling them he just had arrived home and found the street “like a CSI parking lot”.
His accomplice Muir asked Ms Templeton to lie for them and say they were in O’Donnell’s flat all day.
They were brought to justice because their clothes and shoes were covered in droplets of Mr Calvert’s blood.
Muir’s handprint in Mr Calvert’s blood was found on a wall close to where Mr Calvert lay.
Prosecutor Graeme Jessop said: “This was a concerted attack, a vicious attack and a sustained attack on a man who was ambushed at his front door as he came back home. It was unprovoked.”
They had both earlier offered pleas of guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide, but these were rejected.
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