Life sentence for landlord killer

Mr Denslow's body was found on waste ground

A man has been jailed for life for the "brutal" murder of a former pub landlord in Somerset.

Children found the body of Roger Denslow, 40, under corrugated iron on waste ground in Taunton last June.

Jason Jay, who had been living in Mulberry Close, Taunton, will serve at least 28 years in prison.

At Exeter Crown Court, Judge Graham Cottle said Jay, 42, was "an extremely dangerous man who presented a serious risk to the public".

Judge Cottle added that Jay, who had a history of violence and 22 previous convictions, launched a "savage and brutal attack" on Mr Denslow.

The victim suffered a "massive skull fracture" and was left with a "gaping wound to the side of his head" after being attacked with a blunt object, said the judge.

Jay's DNA was found on a cigarette under the body.

Prosecutor Sarah Munro QC said that on the night of the murder, Jay was seen on CCTV footage "pursuing" his victim as he made his way home from a shop in Taunton.

Jay had a history of violence

"Mr Denslow never got home. The defendant caught up with him," she said.

The jury also convicted Jay of robbing Mr Denslow, and he was sentenced to four years, to run concurrently.

He had also denied attacking a 70-year-old woman with intent to rob and robbing a man in his 50s, both last June.

He was convicted of both and was sentenced to two and four years concurrently.

Jay, the jury heard, had pleaded guilty to offences of theft and making threats with a hammer at Burnham on Sea last July, and was sentenced to two years concurrent on each.