A man ‘kicked and stamped’ a person to death in the street, calling him a ‘nonce’ for innocently saying hello to a girl on his way home.
Steven Walton brutally attacked Jason Lord who had been out for a few drinks in Newcastle and was walking back to his flat in Kenton from a bus stop when he passed a youngster coming the other way saying hello without stopping.
It led to a ‘hysterical’ reaction by adults who found out about the incident, culminating in Walton misunderstanding and hunting down the ‘entirely innocent’ Mr Lord, who he found lying on the ground, having fallen, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
In shocking CCTV footage played in court, Walton can be heard angrily shouting at Mr Lord with no questions asked, falsely branding him a ‘nonce’ as the awful sound of his kicks and stamps landing are heard.
Walton, 42, from Kenton, was found guilty by jurors at of murdering the 50-year-old on January 20 and is set to be given a mandatory life sentence on Tuesday.
Detective Chief Inspector Angela Hudson, the senior investigating officer in the case, said after the verdict: ‘First and foremost, I’d like to thank Jason’s family for their strength and poise shown over the last seven months since he was cruelly taken away from them.
‘We have been committed to bringing Jason’s killer to justice ever since this awful incident, and I sincerely hope today’s outcome can offer them some comfort.
‘On the night he was murdered, Jason was simply walking home when he greeted a young girl as he passed her on the pavement. He did not stop or try to engage in conversation – quite simply, he acted as anyone might have done.’
Walton’s actions, upon hearing about the exchange, were entirely hysterical and his decision to jump in a car and then carry out this brutal attack have destroyed more than one life forever.
‘There is never any acceptable excuse for violence, and as a force we will continue to look to take swift and robust action against perpetrators.’
During the trial, Nicholas Lumley KC, prosecuting, said Mr Lord presented no threat to anyone and was just trying to get home when he was attacked.
The court heard as Mr Lord got closer to home, he lost his balance and tumbled to the ground and lay there for a while, some 200 yards from his home. At that point, Walton turned up and attacked him.
Mr Lumley said: ‘As he lay helpless and defenceless on the ground, his head was kicked and stamped on with such force he was killed,’ reports ChronicleLive.
The prosecutor added: ‘Why would he do such a thing? This defendant learned of the scene we’ve just described – a man walking home, acknowledging a pedestrian as he did so, without pausing, then carrying on his way.
‘It had been described to him in more hysterical way. This defendant decided there must be more to it, that that man had to be found and taught a lesson with no questions asked.’
After finding Mr Lord lying on the ground, Walton abused him and began to attack him.
Mr Lumley said: ‘He didn’t ask Jason Lord anything, he didn’t look to see if he was capable of responding. Instead, he began to beat him, to kick him, to stamp on him, many, many times. As he kicked and stamped he shouted and swore at Jason Lord.’
CCTV captures part of the attack, with shouts of “f****** dirty f****** nonce, don’t you ever speak to her again” and thudding impact sounds audible on footage played in court.
He is then said to have told a witness: ‘I did that because he is a dirty f****** nonce”.The court heard Walton left an imprint of his shoe on Mr Lord’s face before getting back in the car and driving away.
A resident then came upon Mr Lord, mistaking him for a pile of rubbish. On closer inspection, he saw it was Mr Lord and he did CPR but despite his efforts and those of medics he died.
He was left with 25 injuries and the cause of death was blunt impact to the head.
Mr Lumley said: ‘While he’d had a drink and was not in the best of health, it was the head injury which caused his death.’
He stated: ‘We say the death of Jason Lord was a killing done in the course of an outburst of violence done by this defendant, intent on at least serious violence.’
He added: ‘The prosecution case is this is a clear case of murder.’
Walton was further remanded in custody ahead of being sentenced on Tuesday morning.
