Five locked up over fatal beating of defenceless Asperger’s sufferer

Nicholas Shelbourne, 27, Mark Jackson, 21, Daryll Jones, 17 and Jordan O’Rouke, 17, were convicted of the murder of Shaun Rossington in December, at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday.

A 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Asperger’s sufferer Mr Rossington was found on grassland in Searby Road, Lincoln, in the early hours of June 3 last year.

He had been kicked, cut and stamped on and was found face down on the ground just after 4am.

During the trial the prosecution said he had gone to the spot to meet a 14-year-old girl, who was 13 at the time, on the promise of a sex act in exchange for £100.

But he was then set upon by Jones, O’Rouke, Shelbourne and Jackson and left for dead on the grassland.

Sentencing them, Mrs Justice Cox said it was a “brutal and chilling attack”.

She jailed Jackson and Shelbourne for life, to serve a minimum of 13 years.

Jones was given a youth detention order of 13 years and O’Rouke a youth detention order of 11 years.

Mrs Justice Cox gave the 17-year-old girl a five-year youth detention order.

The 14-year-old girl, who was convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, was sentenced to a two-year rehabilitation order, a two-year supervision requirement and an ISS requirement of six months.

She was also told she must not enter Lincoln city centre and must obey a 9pm to 7am curfew.

Mrs Justice Cox said Mr Rossington sustained 41 injuries in the attack to various parts of his body including his head, chest and two knife wounds to his back.

She said it was a “wholly unprovoked, brutal and chilling attack on a defenceless young man”.

Speaking to Jones, Jackson, Shelbourne and O’Rouke, who all showed no signs of emotion as they were taken down, Mrs Justice Cox said: “All acting together in a joint enterprise, the purpose of which was to give Shaun a good beating, each of you intended to cause him really serious injuries.”

She said she believed they did not intend to kill Mr Rossington but did not believe their defence that he would walk away from his injuries when they left him on the night of the attack.