'Paedophile' taunt gang convicted

From left: Healy, Dewar and Bartholomew were jailed for life

Three members of a gang have been jailed for life for murdering a Hampshire man after one of them falsely accused him of being a paedophile.

Brian Kitching, 68, from Portsmouth, suffered brain damage in the attack in a rock garden on Southsea seafront in September 2005.

Mr Kitching never recovered and died in a nursing home six months later.

The gang included two teenage girls, one of whom was pregnant at the time of the attack.

This was a sustained violent attack committed by a group of drunken youths on a defenceless man of advancing years Mrs Justice Dobbs

Paul Dewar, 27, of no fixed address but originally from Taunton, Somerset, Amie Bartholomew, 20, and 17-year-old Melissa Healy (nee Conran), both from Portsmouth, had denied murder.

But they were convicted at Winchester Crown Court and the judge lifted reporting restrictions that had prevented the identification of Healy because of her age.

Another member of the gang, Lewis Hoare, 19, from Portsmouth, had earlier pleaded guilty to murder.

During the trial, the jury heard Bartholomew, then 18 and pregnant, started the attack when she shouted to Mr Kitching that he was a "dirty paedophile" and punched him.

There was no evidence at all that Mr Kitching was a paedophile

Mr Kitching was not known to the group and there was no evidence at all he was a paedophile, the court was told.

He suffered brain damage, fractured eye sockets, a punctured lung and fractured ribs and died in March 2006 because his brain damage meant he could not cough and he suffocated in his own vomit.

Some of the group, who had been drinking heavily, had attacked two other people during the day the court was told.

After attacking Mr Kitching all four washed their clothing in the sea but witnesses recognised some of them and they were arrested shortly afterwards.

A jury of six men and six women took nine hours to find the trio guilty of murder.

Sentencing them, Mrs Justice Dobbs said Mr Kitching was subject to "an unprovoked and brutal attack".

Hoare will be sentenced at a later date after admitting murder

She added: "It is clear that this was a sustained violent attack committed by a group of drunken youths on a defenceless man of advancing years."

She said Mr Kitching was "curled up with his hands over his head" while being attacked and added: "Nobody did anything to help Mr Kitching when it was obvious he was in a bad way."

Dewar will serve a minimum of 16 years, minus the 277 days already spent in custody; Bartholomew will serve a minimum of 15 years; and Healy was told she would serve a minimum of 10 years.

Hoare will be sentenced at a later date.