Friday 20 May 2022 07:10 PM Four men who murdered a university student, 24, at a New Year's Eve party ... trends now
Three men and a teenager convicted of murdering a 'gentle and peaceful' student at a New Year's Eve party by viciously beating him unconscious and then throwing his body over a balcony have been jailed for life today.
A court heard William 'Billy' Henham's attackers also callously stripped him naked and doused him in bleach in a bid to 'cover their tracks' by destroying any forensic evidence.
Just a few hours before his brutal death, the 24-year-old had been seen 'singing, dancing and smiling' in a Brighton nightclub.
However, by dawn on January 1, 2020 he had been subjected to the 'sustained and significant' fatal assault involving punches, kicks, stamps, and even blows from a broken stair spindle, leaving him with 67 separate injuries.
Three men and a teenager convicted of murdering a 'gentle and peaceful' student at a New Year's Eve party by viciously beating him unconscious and then throwing his body over a balcony have been jailed for life today. Pictured: The last sighting of 24-year-old William 'Billy' Henham
Three of the killers are seen partying on the balcony of a building. William 'Billy' Henham, 24, was left with 67 separate injuries after the 'sustained and significant' assault
Mr Henham (above) studied film and photography at Ravensbourne University in south east London and lived with his parents in Henfield, West Sussex
A court heard these included 11 rib fractures to both sides of his body, extensive bruising to his scalp, face and neck, a deep cut to his forehead and brain injury.
Mr Henham, who had taken a break from his film and photography studies at Ravensbourne University in south east London and lived with his parents in Henfield, West Sussex, was then dropped over balcony railings from a height of just under 11ft.
His clothing, apart from his red Puma trainers, was never recovered.
Traces of disinfectant were later found in his hair and bloodstained areas in the building where he had been beaten also appeared to have been 'diluted'.
Gregory Hawley, 29, Dushane Meikle, 28, Lamech Gordon-Carew, who turns 21 tomorrow, and 19-year-old Alize Spence all denied murder but were unanimously found guilty.
None of the four knew or had previously met Mr Henham, and none gave police or the court an explanation as to what happened that night.
But the prosecution said each had either 'joined in or encouraged' the assault on him.
Passing life sentences Mr Justice Cavanagh said Hawley and Meikle will serve minimum terms of 25 years before being considered for parole.
Gordon-Carew and Spence were handed minimum terms of 18 years.
A jury at Maidstone Crown Court, Kent, was told that despite the severity of his injuries, Mr Henham would have been alive for at least an hour after the violent attack.
His battered, lifeless body was eventually discovered by police on the evening of January 2 2020 laying in a recess area on a roof terrace at the former office block, hotel and restaurant complex.
The building in North Street had been occupied by squatters at the time, with up to 50 people attending the New Year's Eve party.
Dushane Meikle (pictured left), 28, and 18-year-old Alize Spence (right) were convicted of Mr Henham's murder along with two others
Gregory Hawley (left), 29, and Lamech Gordon-Carew (right), 20, were also convicted of Mr Henham's murder. None of the four knew or had previously met the student
One resident later recalled hearing a man screaming in pain from a room he described in court as 'the torture chamber'.
The judge said in his sentencing remarks at Hove Crown Court today/yesterday (FRI): 'The effect of Bill Henham's murder on his family has been devastating. Their grief is relentless.
'Both of his parents have had to give up work. For the past two and a half years they have existed, not lived. Their emotions have ranged from horror and shock to absolute pain and then to total anger.
'In respect of each of you, there is only one sentence that the law allows me to pass for the offence of murder. It is a life sentence.
'This was an assault on a defenceless young man, made vulnerable by his intoxication. There were four of you: this was a group attack on a single victim.
'The extreme brutality of the assault and the sustained nature of it is indicated by the sheer number of injuries, including 11 broken ribs, a deep wound to your victim's forehead and brain injuries.
'I do not sentence you on the basis that the murder was sadistic - if I had done so, the starting point for three of you would have been much higher - but the wholly disproportionate and gratuitous violence is one of the most unpleasant aspects of the offence, and the ferocity and vigour with which the beating was carried out were not far short of sadistic.
'This was a merciless attack, involving the deliberate infliction of pain and suffering over a lengthy period.
Ian and Debbie Henham broke down in tears as they paid tribute to their son, describing him as a 'gentle, kind, young man'
'You caused a very great deal of mental and physical suffering to your victim, and persisted in the assault whilst fully aware of the pain and damage that you were causing to him. There was evidence that your victim was screaming whilst you attacked him in the small room. He had injuries on his hands and arms which suggests that he was trying to protect himself whilst the assault took place.
'By the time that the assault ended, you had come to a joint decision to kill your victim and to conceal evidence of your
involvement - placing his body in a dank and dirty recess, and removing all of his clothing.
'None of you has expressed any remorse for your actions.'
The three-month trial heard that Hawley, who 'ran' the squat, was seen on New Year's Day with a container of disinfectant and a cloth, saying 'We killed someone last night' and having to 'clean up the mess'.
He also confessed to his mother's then partner how he had seen Mr Henham take his last breath, while Gordon-Carew
