Man guilty of murdering neighbour

A 41-year-old alcoholic who was found asleep next to a dead grandmother has been found guilty of her murder.

Martin Garratty had denied murder saying he had no recollection of the killing of his 65-year-old neighbour Rhona Heywood.

She was found with 42 injuries and died of asphyxiation after being gagged with her nightdress at her flat in Godwin Court, Horsham, West Sussex in March.

Sentencing was adjourned until Thursday but Garratty faces a life term in jail.

His defence counsel, Philippa McAtasney QC, invited jurors to consider "on the balance of probabilities" whether responsibility for his actions were impaired.

Judge Anthony Scott-Gall said the jury had convicted Garratty on the "most compelling and clear evidence".

He said Garratty faced life behind bars but that he needed time to consider the minimum tariff before he was eligible for parole.

Bracelet alarm

The court heard that unemployed Garratty turned violent after heavy drinking.

Ms Heywood - who used a walking frame and suffered from disabilities including severe arthritis - had telephoned Garratty in his flat upstairs and given him £20 to buy her brandy, jurors were told.

During the evening, Garratty downed neat brandy and cider at Ms Heywood's flat in front of her and a friend, the court heard.

At about 2300 GMT, the friend left the property, and at 2319 GMT Chichester Community Careline received an alert from Ms Heywood's bracelet alarm.

Police arrived at 2358 GMT to find Ms Heywood's front door ajar and discovered her blood-soaked body in the bedroom of the ground-floor flat, with Garratty lying in a drunken state with his right arm round her.

Ms Heywood's injuries were mainly on her head and neck.