Father jailed for life over friend’s drunken murder

A FATHER has been jailed for life for the murder of his best friend after a drunken row.

Ian Farley punched, kicked and stamped on Glenn Russell, 48, and twice struck him with a ladle before he left his victim dying at his home in Bayswater Grove, Harehills, Leeds

Mr Russell’s cheekbones and jaw were fractured, along with the hyoid bone in his neck and nine ribs.

He suffered brain damage and died from his head injuries.

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Farley, 51, of Parkside Road, Moortown, Leeds was found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court last Friday of the murder in August last year.

Ordering him yesterday to serve a minimum of 12 years minus the time already spent on remand, Judge Jennifer Kershaw QC said the pair had been friends since childhood and she accepted his remorse was genuine.

They were drinking together with another man on August 30 at Mr Russell’s home when she said the situation turned ugly in the early hours after a “drunken petty argument”.

The judge added: “You became angry with Mr Russell and launched upon him an attack which although not premeditated was sustained and vicious.”

“In effect you beat him to death,” she said.

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“The bloodstaining around the room means a number of blows and kicks were delivered when he was not upright, either sitting, crouched or stooping, and in some instances he must have been lying on the floor.”

“You left the flat and made no call to the emergency services for help to the victim and it was not until late the next morning you caused others to go to the scene when the death was discovered.”

She said: “Glenn Russell was your friend and had trusted you. Your children and his were, and are friends.

“Your act has caused immeasurable grief to both families.

“Living with the moral as well as the legal responsibility for what you have done is a sentence in itself.”

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Farley told the jury in evidence he was not aware how seriously injured Mr Russell was when he left him.

“We loved each other dearly as friends for a long, long time,” he said.

Simon Bourne-Arton QC, defending Farley, described it as a tragedy for both families.

After the conviction last week Mr Russell’s family said in a statement: “Glenn was a much-loved son, brother and father who was taken from us abruptly and in such horrendous circumstances.

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“As a family we are still struggling to come to terms with our loss.

“We know that no matter what sentence is imposed by the court, this will never replace or compensate us for the huge gap which has been left since Glenn’s passing.”

Det Supt David Pervin said the case should serve as a warning about “the devastating consequences of drinking to excess”.