River death boys put in custody

The trial heard the pair attacked their victim when he was helpless

Two teenagers who killed a man by burning him with a cigarette lighter, then rolling him into a river, have been given detention orders.

James Quantrill, 17, and Thomas Orme, 15, were convicted in November of the manslaughter of 25-year-old Toby Atkin in Spalding, Lincolnshire.

A Nottingham court heard they attacked the drinker and drug user last May.

Quantrill was given a five-year detention sentence and Orme was ordered to serve three-and-a-half years.

After the verdict it was revealed that Orme had 13 previous convictions and Quantrill had 24.

Toby was cruelly and callously taken from us The Atkin family

Judge Michael Stokes told them their records revealed they had been "totally out of control" and had "quite appalling attitudes towards other people".

He said that, given their "appalling criminal records" and the nature of the offence, it was in the public interest to name them.

During the 12-day trial, the jury heard the victim was unconscious when the boys burnt, kicked and urinated on him before rolling him into the River Welland.

Humiliation and pain

The court heard Orme filmed part of the attack on his mobile phone and Quantrill branded Mr Atkin's face and neck with a cigarette lighter to leave burn marks in the shape of smiling faces.

Lincolnshire Police said he had suffered hours of humiliation and pain.

In a statement Mr Atkin's family said: "The 17th of May 2007 is the day that changed our lives forever - it is the date that our son Toby was cruelly and callously taken from us and will be eternally etched on our minds.

"So to sit in court over the past few weeks and to hear of what our son went through... has been torture for us.

"Toby had a gentleness about him... very rare in young men nowadays. So many people in the town have told us what a polite and pleasant person he was."

Quantrill and Orme, both from Spalding, had denied any involvement in Mr Atkin's death, claiming he fell into the water on his own.