Pair jailed for murdering vulnerable step-brother

A couple who inflicted "deliberate cruelty" on a vulnerable man in their care have been jailed for life for his murder.

Rubin Blount, who weighed just 40kg (six stone) at the time of his death in November 2022, had been forced to stand for long periods of time and eat out of bins at the address he lived at in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

Stepbrother Kenneth Newton, 58, and his partner Melanie James, 64, both from Birmingham, filmed themselves mocking and abusing the 28-year-old.

Both were sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 21 years, at Stafford Crown Court on Friday.

Judge Mrs Justice Jefford said they had been in a position of trust which they had abused and had shown an "abject failure to help him when he was in pain and suffering".

The court heard Blount, who was severely dehydrated and malnourished, had been taken to hospital after he became unwell on 27 November 2022 and suffered a cardiac arrest upon arrival.

After resuscitating him, doctors found he had extensive pneumonia, severe infection, rib and spine fractures, as well as burns, lesions and grazes.

He died three days later.

Prosecution counsel Jennifer Josephs KC told Newton and James' sentencing hearing on Friday that the victim was "considerably mentally impaired" and was particularly vulnerable.

She added that the defendants' "cruel" behaviour towards him was demonstrated in videos shown to the jury.

Blount had been left to lie in his own urine, made to "stand to attention" and eat out of bins, she said.

James, who wore a white T-shirt, a grey jacket and blue jeans in the dock, sobbed and wiped tears as Josephs told the court the abuse and violence inflicted on Blount went on for months.

Newton, who wore a dark grey jumper and light grey Nike tracksuit bottoms in the dock, leaned forward and kept his head down.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by Josephs, Blount's mother Jeanette Blount said her son was vulnerable and deserved "compassion, dignity and a chance to live his life".

"We all believed they loved him and would take care of him," she said.

"We had no reason to believe otherwise.

"He was a son, a brother and friend and a person who was deeply loved by so many people - not just us, but people who knew him in the community.

"His life mattered and his loss has been felt by us all.

"No sentence can bring back our son or take away the trauma that we now carry. The grief is constant."

Defending James, Rebecca Wade KC urged Mrs Justice Jefford to offer the female defendant "light at the end of the tunnel and something to work towards" as she acknowledged she would not be released until she was at least 80.

She was a woman who had had a difficult life of her own, Wade said.

"Her background doesn't excuse what she has done, but recognition of it goes some way to provide some sort of explanation for it."

Mark Heywood KC, defending Newton, said through no fault of his own, Blount was a "challenging" person to care for.

"This relationship did start off well and with good hopes, it was hoped it would prove a sanctuary for Rubin," he said.

Passing sentence, Mrs Justice Jefford said Mr Blount had "more or less disappeared from view" and had not left the house for around two months before his death.

"You accused him of putting on his poor physical state, you mocked him, you flung abuse at him... you laughed and seemed to find this abhorrent behaviour amusing," she said.

"He was unable to defend himself or even walk away from you.

"It would have been obvious that punching him would cause really serious harm and yet you did it again."

The judge said she had "no doubt" the defendants only finally took action to get Blount help out of concern for what would happen to them.

There were whispers of "yes" in the public gallery when she handed down her sentence, as well as a shout of "rot in hell".

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