Couple sentenced to life for murdering vulnerable man in their care
Kenneth Newton and Melanie James have been jailed for life after being convicted of murdering Rubin Blount, a vulnerable 28-year-old man in their care. A court heard that he was subjected to prolonged cruelty, including being left in his own urine, forced to eat from bins and reduced to 40kg.
Kenneth Newton and Melanie James have been jailed for life after being convicted of murdering Rubin Blount, a vulnerable 28-year-old man in their care, The Guardian reports. Stafford Crown Court heard that Blount was subjected to what prosecutors described as deliberate cruelty at an address in Tamworth, Staffordshire. He was made to stand for long periods and was left lying in his own urine.
The court also heard that Blount was forced to eat from bins. He weighed 40 kilograms when he died. The report says Newton, his stepbrother, and James had filmed themselves mocking him.
The supplied material does not provide the dates of the abuse or death, the circumstances of the couple’s arrest or their sentences beyond the life terms. It also does not include statements from the defendants, their lawyers or Blount’s family. The convictions followed evidence of sustained mistreatment while Blount was in their care.
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