Killer jailed for life over torture attack death

A man has been jailed for life for the murder of a man who died in hospital almost a month after being "tortured" in his own home for several hours.

Huw Owen, 41, punched and kicked Julian Hargreaves repeatedly during a sustained assault at a property in Staithes on 13 March 2024 before hitting him with a lamp and leaving him unconscious on the floor.

Leeds Crown Court heard Hargreaves, who was discovered the following day by his brother, died in hospital as a result of his injuries in early April.

Owen, formerly from Scarborough, was told he would serve a minimum of 16 years in jail.

Prosecutors said Owen had "attacked, bullied and tormented" Hargreaves over the course of several hours in his own home before fleeing.

Hargreaves was found the next day by his brother Jonathan, after remaining on the floor for 14 hours.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Jonathan Hargreaves said: "I've remembered the sight of him laying on the floor, eyes glazed, speech slurred, trousers halfway down his legs, every day for the last two years.

"To see him unable to move and helpless was beyond upsetting, I will never get over this."

The court heard Owen went on the run for several weeks after the attack, before being arrested in Newcastle on 10 April 2024.

Hargreaves' mother, Jackie Hargreaves, told the court: "He [Owen] has no idea how this has ripped my heart apart.

"I've now lost three sons: one at birth, one who was electrocuted in 1991 and now Julian.

"Not a day has gone by since his death I've not cried and felt lost about the way he was killed.

"Julian was a poorly man. To be tortured in his own home by a person he thought was his friend is beyond understanding and beyond my forgiveness.

"This man has changed what short life I have left forever."

The judge was told the injuries which killed Mr Hargreaves were compounded by the length of time he had been left injured before being discovered.

The court heard Owen, who was convicted of murder after a trial in February, had a long list of previous offences, including violence, drugs, threats and battery.

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