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Three men jailed for life after torturing friend to death and then burning his body in 'massacre scene'

Warning: Graphic content

Three men have been jailed for a minimum of 75 years after they tortured a friend to death.

Jordan Metcalfe, 24, Nathan Redmond, 21, and Scott Crutchle, 24, subjected 42-year-old Jonathan Dews to two-and-a-half hours of "brutal, vicious, explosive, mindless violence", the court heard.

The victim was slashed, stabbed, hit with house bricks and had part of his ear cut off before his body was set on fire in a bid to conceal the crime.

(From L-R) Jordan Metcalfe, 24, Nathan Redmond, 21, and Scott Crutchle, 24,
(From L-R) Jordan Metcalfe, 24, Nathan Redmond, 21, and Scott Crutchle, 24 (Picture: Police)

The victim was left with more than 90 injuries.

Neighbours at the house in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, heard screams for a "considerable period of time" during the incident in the early hours of 6 September, 2019.

After the attack, the men caught a taxi to Scarborough where they were arrested later that day after attempting to hide from police at the end of a pier.

They were all handed life sentences at Leeds Crown Court on Friday after being convicted of murder following a four-week trial.

Jonathan Dews was tortured to death (Picture: Police)
Jonathan Dews was tortured to death (Picture: Police)

Metcalfe and Redmond will serve minimum jail sentences of 27 years, while Crutchley must serve a minimum of 21 years behind bars.

Sentencing, Mr Justice Jay said: "I am satisfied that all three of you were in the thick of it in the first phase of this attack in Jonathan Dews' bedroom.

"This was brutal, vicious, explosive, mindless violence."

The judge described the room where Mr Dews' was killed as being like a "massacre scene".

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A general view of Leeds Crown Court.
A general view of Leeds Crown Court (Picture: PA)

Prosecutor Simon Kealey, QC, told the court Mr Dews was stabbed in the head, neck, and body, and that slash wounds included horrific attempts to cut his throat and part of his ear.

The victim's hands were also tied together and a bootlace was tied around his neck.

The court heard Metcalfe began taking advantage of Mr Dews by using his bank account to deposit money from online fraud.

The court was told the decision was then taken to murder him as “smackheads always talk”.

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Detective Superintendent Nicola Bryar, the Senior Investigating Officer in the case, added: "All three men attempted to cover their tracks and all lied and blamed each other for the killing.

"They have shown no remorse for their actions and continued to lie throughout the court case.”

After the hearing, Mr Dews' family released a statement which said: "Words cannot describe the torment of losing him in such horrific, brutal circumstances.

“The pain and suffering he endured throughout that night will haunt us forever.”

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The court heard how Mr Dews had only just moved into the terraced property, which was run by a project for the homeless, a few weeks earlier.

He had an addiction to class A drugs and was prescribed methadone.

Redmond and Metcalfe also lived at the property, while Crutchley rented a room at a nearby hotel.

A forensic post mortem concluded that Mr Dews died from head and neck injuries.

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