Gang guilty of beating man to death

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

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

A 16-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl were cleared of murder and manslaughter.

Asperger's sufferer Mr Rossington was found on grassland in Searby Road, Lincoln, in the early hours of June 3. 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 been lured to the spot to meet a girl, who was 13 at the time. The girl, now 14, was cleared of murder and manslaughter but convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Jackson, of Yarborough Road, Lincoln, the 17-year-old girl and the 14-year-old girl were convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, while Shelbourne, of Edinburgh House, Laughton Way, Lincoln, Jones, and O'Rouke, also of Lincoln, pleaded guilty.

A 16-year-old boy was cleared of murder, manslaughter and conspiracy to pervert justice.

The defendants found guilty will be sentenced in January.

The group had conspired to cover up the murder by planting Mr Rossington's shoes in the road to make it look like a car crash.