A retired jeweller has been convicted of murdering his neighbour after a long-running noise dispute in their sheltered housing complex took a fatal turn on Christmas Day.
James Hughes, 67, from north Wales, attacked Harold 'Harry' Turner, 68, striking him repeatedly with his walking stick and pinning him to the ground. Hughes recorded the entire incident on a Dictaphone, which became a key piece of evidence in the prosecution's case, according to WalesOnline.
Mr Turner, who suffered from significant health problems, had confronted and threatened Hughes minutes earlier at the Old Palace Flats in St Asaph on Christmas morning last year. Hughes denied murder and manslaughter but was found guilty last month and refused to attend his sentencing hearing.
Background of the Feud
Hughes was sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court on Thursday (July 2). The court heard that Mr Turner and Hughes were neighbours in the block and shared an animosity that had simmered for some time. Mr Turner had made several noise complaints relating to Hughes, which included banging on walls and rails and disturbances at night.
"During the night of Christmas Eve and into Christmas morning, Mr Turner was angry and distressed," described Judge Nicklin during sentencing. "At 5.15am on Christmas morning, he left a voicemail for the defendant saying: 'I want you to f*** off, that's what I want. I'm going to make you f*** off, and I am going to get you. You're mine, you're f***** with the wrong person. Good night, sleep tight.'"
The judge continued: "There is further evidence of threatening conduct by Mr Turner that morning. Neil Jones recorded footage in which Mr Turner used abusive and threatening language, threatening to knock the defendant out, and said: 'If you go for it, I'll go for you any time.'"
The Morning of the Attack
Hughes called North Wales Police twice that morning: once at 8.47am, when he reported that Mr Turner had been banging on his door since 11pm and had been shouting and arguing, and again at 9.04am, when he played the call handler the voicemail message left by Mr Turner.
"At 11.03am Mr Turner left a voicemail on the community house manager's phone saying he was at the end of his tether and at breaking point and he was going to hurt somebody," the judge said. "Later that morning a physical altercation between the defendant and Mr Turner occurred outside the defendant's flat."
The judge noted: "I proceed on the basis that Mr Turner began that physical altercation, and that is significant. The defendant did not go looking for violence that day. The confrontation took place outside the defendant's flat after he had called the police and after threats had been made by Mr Turner."
The Dictaphone Recording
"The central piece of evidence was the dictaphone recording which captured Mr Turner saying: 'Get off me, I can't breathe,'" the judge said. "The defendant refused to get off him and said: 'What a f****** shame, do you want me to hurt you again? You can f****** die for all I care, I don't give a f***.'"
After the incident, Hughes returned to his home, turned on the radio, and made himself a hot drink before calling his nephew later that day, with the dictaphone still recording. On the device, Hughes could be heard telling his nephew: "I think I may have killed someone."
When Hughes eventually called for an ambulance, he told emergency call handlers that he thought Mr Turner may have had a heart attack. He said: "I hit him with my stick and he fell and he banged himself against the window."
Cause of Death and Sentencing
A post-mortem examination found Mr Turner died as a result of asphyxia and had suffered blunt force trauma to his face and head.
Gordon Cole KC, representing Hughes, said his client had been the victim of serious crime in South Africa on multiple occasions and was not in good physical condition. He added that Hughes had called the police twice on Christmas morning, seeking help, and that his client, who had no previous convictions, would "serve the remaining years of his life in prison" due to his health.
Judge Nicklin sentenced Hughes to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years. A total of 185 days spent on remand in custody will be deducted from his sentence. The judge added that, while Mr Turner's murder had not been planned, Hughes did ignore his neighbour's pleas to get off him. The judge said Hughes' response had instead been "angry, callous and cruel."
"This was a senseless murder which was borne out of a dispute between two retired neighbours," Detective Chief Inspector Eleri Thomas, of North Wales Police, said following Hughes' sentencing. "Through his persistent, antagonistic actions, James Hughes drove Mr Turner to a confrontation at the door of his flat, and despite Mr Turner's pleas that he couldn't breathe, Hughes continued to sit on his chest and proceeded to strike his head with his walking stick. His recording of the attack and subsequent conversations afterwards were damning as to his guilt, and whilst Mr Turner's family may never be able fully comprehend why this tragic incident happened, I hope we have provided them with some form of justice and closure today."
