River death pair are found guilty

The pair had claimed Mr Atkin fell in by himself

Two boys who branded a 25-year-old man with a cigarette lighter before dumping his body in a river have been convicted of manslaughter.

Thomas Orme, 15, and James Quantrill, 17, also set Toby Atkin's clothes alight before dumping his body in the River Welland, in Spalding, on 17 May.

Nottingham Crown Court heard Mr Atkin, from Spalding, was more than five times over the drink drive alcohol limit.

The teenagers, who denied the charges, will be sentenced on 4 January.

Judge Michael Stokes said: "It's inevitable that you will receive custodial sentences. I want to make that absolutely plain."

Phone images

He added: "Given their appalling criminal records and the nature of the offence, it seems to me that it is in the public interest that they should be named."

The court heard that Orme filmed part of the attack on his mobile phone.

Quantrill branded Mr Atkin's face and neck with a cigarette lighter to leave burn marks in the shape of smiling faces.

The teenagers, both from Spalding, then urinated on his unconscious body before pushing him in the river, the court had heard.

After the guilty verdicts were returned, the court was told that Orme had 13 previous convictions and Quantrill had 24.

Family's 'torture'

Det Sgt Chris Davison, who investigated the case, said: "We are just pleased that the family have got the chance for some peace of mind and closure, to know that the jury accepted that the boys placed the unconscious body of their son into the river and caused him to die."

He added: "It's not a run-of-the-mill case for Spalding. It's a very serious incident for a small market town".

In a statement, Mr Atkin's family said: "To sit in court over the past few weeks and to hear of what our son went through, that he was urinated on and that his face and eyelashes were burned, has been torture for us.

"Toby had a gentleness about him, which in my opinion is very rare in young men nowadays."

Paul Mann QC, prosecuting, told the court that the pair knew Mr Atkin was a "binge-drinker" who often drank himself into a stupor and also sometimes mixed alcohol with drugs.