Edinburgh: Two men jailed for killing gay man
Two men have each been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for killing a 44-year-old gay man, and then dumping his semi-naked body in a lift at a block of flats in Edinburgh.
Simon Brown and Paul Banks, who are 41 and 48 respectively, had pleaded guilty to killing John Carter by placing handcuffs on his wrists, attacking him, dragging him out of a flat in Salamander Court, placing him in a lift, and for failing to seek immediate medical attention. They had also robbed Mr Carter of his wallet and its contents.
According to the BBC, Messrs Brown and Banks were originally charged with murdering their victim on 26 or 27 February 2011, but admitted a reduced charge of culpable homicide. The prosecutors said that Mr Carter chatted to the accused, whom he had not known before, in a pub. The latter then followed Mr Carter, and on the way, stopped the vehicle to invite him for a drink in the partment they shared.
The victim’s family said nothing could fill the huge gap left in their lives. “John was a vibrant, fiercely intelligent, loving man, who brought countless joy to the lives of his family and many friends,” they added.
The temporary judge Michael O’Grady QC told the accused that between them, they had inflicted a deliberate death on a “vulnerable and defenceless man.” He added: “You behaved with extreme cruelty and utter indifference. No sentence I can impose can ease the ordeal of Mr Carter’s family.”
