Life for addict who buried father alive

Kenneth Wilkins' body was dumped on the rubbish tip

A heroin addict who bludgeoned his father with a hammer and then buried him alive has been jailed for life.

Kenny Wilkins, 22, attacked his 47-year-old father Kenneth Wilkins and dumped his body in a rubbish tip where they both worked.

Wilkins, of Shard End, Birmingham, used cash taken from his father's body to buy drugs and pay off a £200 debt.

Birmingham Crown Court was packed with members of Mr Wilkins family who sat in silence as the prosecution detailed the brutal attack by his son.

Tears from family

The court heard Mr Wilkins had received seven hammer blows to his body and had fractures on his hands and arms where he had tried to fend off the blows.

Kenneth Wilkins : A stern but fair father

When the prosecutor gave details of the bruises on Mr Wilkins' body, which showed he had been alive when he was buried, members of his family broke down in tears and some left the court.

The body was found when police searched a skip hire site in Saltley, Birmingham, where the two men had worked.

Mr Wilkins was described in court as a good, hard-working man who was a stern but fair father.

Mrs Justice Rafferty told Wilkins that he had robbed his family of their "peace of mind".

She said he had also "demeaned" his father in life and in death.

'Difficult case'

Despite cries of "murderer", Wilkins remained calm throughout.

Detective Chief Superintendent Wayne Bernstein, who led the investigation said: "This has been a really difficult case because we were having to deal with the family in really tragic circrumstances.

"We had to balance the investigative needs against the needs and the grief of the family.

"This is probably one of the most difficult cases I have investigated because of that."