Brothers jailed for 19 years after manslaughter of 44-year-old vulnerable man in Hull

Kailum Nightingale, 26, of Poplar Grove in Hull has been sentenced to ten years, and Kieran Nightingale, 26, of Vermont Crescent in Hull has been sentenced to nine years.

This comes after they were both found guilty by a unanimous jury following a nine-day trial at Hull Crown Court in December 2024.

At around 5.45am on Thursday April 25, 2024, Shane Boxall rang 999 himself stating that he had just been attacked by two men in his own home on Alaska Street in Hull.

Officers were quickly deployed and upon attending found the brothers still at the address. Kieran quickly became evasive towards officers and proceeded to push one of the officers out the way. As another officer went to intervene, Kailum grabbed his jacket to prevent him from helping his colleague.

Kieran and Kailum subsequently fled from the address, leaving officers to find Shane inside having seizures as a result of a serious injury to his head. Shane was taken to hospital to receive medical treatment where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit in critical condition for three days before passing away.

A search of the area ensued, with patrol officers and our specialist dog unit leading the enquiries. In an effort to evade police, both men began garden hopping and hiding between nearby properties on Severn Street and Mersey Street. Officers soon located the two men, and they were both arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

On Friday April 26 2024, Kailum Nightingale and Kieran Nightingale were both charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Following the death of Shane on Saturday April 27 2024, three days after the attack, a murder investigation was launched and following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, the two men were further charged with murder.

Following their appearance at Hull Crown Court yesterday on Thursday January 9, the pair were jailed for 19 years.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Jon Cross said: “Kieran and Kailum turned up to Shane’s address unannounced, forcing their way in and making threats to Shane, as well as causing chaos by smashing up Shane’s house and belongings in an attempt to intimidate him.

“Fearing for his life, Shane hid in his bedroom, and despite the pleas from two witnesses for the brothers to stop, they continued enraged, kicking Shane’s bedroom door down with such force it fell apart.

“They cornered Shane in his own bedroom before Kailum punched him once in the head which ultimately led to Shane’s death two days later.

“Shane was a vulnerable individual who was doing everything he could to protect himself from both the brothers, but there was nothing to stop them inflicting the harm they were intending to cause that morning and they’ve shown nothing but disregard since.

“Their obnoxious behaviour didn’t subside even after they saw him suffering on the floor, dismissing the damage they had caused by saying he was ‘pretending’, and proceeding to hang around in the house refusing to help the witnesses as they tried to save his life.

“My thoughts remain with Shane’s family, and I commend them for their patience throughout the entire judicial process. I know the sentence given to the brothers will not take away any of the pain and grief the family and friends of Shane Boxall must continue to endure, but I hope they find some comfort in knowing that the Nightingale’s will be behind bars for a long time.

“These two men are menacing individuals and let this be a significant warning to anyone looking to purposefully cause harm, intimidation, and violence in our communities. It will not be tolerated, and we will always do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

Following sentencing, speaking of the family’s devastating loss, Shane’s eldest daughter said:

“Our dad was a good man with a kind nature and did not deserve what happened to him. He really was a family man and surrounded himself with a big family who all loved him dearly. He will be greatly missed.

“No amount of time will bring my dad back, but we are glad Kieran and Kailum are locked up and unable to hurt anyone else.

“On behalf of myself and the rest of my family, we would like to say a huge thank you to Humberside Police, in particular our Officer in the Case, and DCI Jon Cross who have both supported us every step of the way.”