Killers set to be jailed after beating Yorkshire man to death in his own home

Jonathan Hutty was found with serious injuries inside his flat in Padstow House in Hull in the early hours of February 24 this year. He was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries but never regained consciousness.

Ian Smalley was initially arrested and charged with murder, while police also later arrested Gavin Leaning and Leon Smith.

Smalley, 54, of Hutt Street, Hull, pleaded guilty to murder two days into his trial. A four-week trial at Hull Crown Court found Leaning, 51, of Padstow House, guilty of manslaughter while Smith, 23, of Grasby Road, Hull, was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter.

Smalley and Leaning are set to be sentenced on December 11.

A post-mortem found Mr Hutty died from a severe head injury, likely as a result of an assault. Police investigations found CCTV which shown the three men travelling to Mr Hutty’s flat and leaving a short time later.

Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) Detective Chief Inspector Ben Robinson, leading the investigation for Humberside Police, said: “Since we received the report, our enquiries swiftly commenced to establish the circumstances leading to Jonathan’s fatal attack.

“This included extensively reviewing hours of CCTV footage in and around the area, conducting house-to-house enquiries, carrying out extensive analysis of phone data and various forensic examinations undertaken.

“From CCTV footage, on Saturday 24 February, Leaning, Smith and Smalley were seen inside Padstow House. Around 15 minutes later, all three men were seen entering the lift and travelling to Jonathan’s flat.

“All three men later left the flat, making no attempt to help Jonathan and leaving him for dead, before a friend later found him on the floor with a serious head injury and alerted emergency services.

“Whilst Jonathan was receiving treatment in hospital, officers attended the property and conducted extensive enquiries where it was established that Jonathan had been kicked, stamped and punched during the time Leaning, Smalley and Smith had been in his flat and all three were subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder.”

Detectives discovered messages from Smalley in which he admitted killing Mr Hutty, while two weeks before the attack Smalley reported his bank card as stolen and wrongly suspected it had been stolen by Mr Hutty.

DCI Robinson added: “The callous and inexcusable actions committed by these men have left Jonathan’s family without a brother. Due to the accusation over a missing bank card, Smalley and Leaning, went to Jonathan’s flat with one intention – to cause him serious harm.

“Jonathan was killed by people he knew and trusted and regarded as his friends, having done nothing to warrant the brutal attack inflicted upon him.“This has been a long and complex investigation, with hours of CCTV footage being trawled in the initial weeks to establish the events leading to Jonathan’s death.

“Once our suspects were identified; we then had the task of carrying out various forensic and mobile phone data analysis to build a strong evidential case against them.

“Whilst we welcome the outcome, we recognise nothing can reverse the horrendous actions committed by Smalley and Leaning or take away the heartache and pain Jonathan’s family have to live with for the rest of their lives.

“Finally, I’d like to commend my dedicated team of investigating officers within our Major Crime Team who have worked relentlessly to bring these violent men to justice.

“We will always do everything we can to seek justice for those who come to harm at the hands of others, and to ensure those who commit the crime are held to account for their actions.”