Rolex robbery family jailed for killing man

Lee O'Brien, left, and his sons, Luke and Lewis, all pleaded guilty to manslaughter

A father and his sons have been jailed for killing a man in a shop by beating him with a wrench, before stealing his two Rolex watches.

Lee O’Brien, along with his sons Luke and Lewis, had pleaded guilty to killing Darren Smith at a phone shop in Shard End, Birmingham.

Mr Smith was ambushed on 15 March 2023, by the three men, who also kicked and punched him, before threatening shop staff and fleeing in their cars, police said.

The victim walked unsteadily out of the shop in Heath Way before collapsing, they added.

Several members of the public gave first aid to Mr Smith, West Midlands Police said, but he died at the scene.

O’Brien and his sons were arrested the following day in Torquay.

Police said they had borrowed a car from a friend in order to avoid being caught, but were nonetheless traced in the vehicle they had used.

Darren Smith suffered serious head injuries in the fatal attack at a phone shop in Shard End

Lee O’Brien, 54, Luke O’Brien, 36, and Lewis O’Brien, 32, all pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court on 19 September.

On Friday, Lewis O'Brien and Luke O'Brien were both jailed for 12 and a half years while there father was jailed for 11 years and eight months.

Det Insp Michelle Thurgood, from fhe force's homicide team, said the three men all knew Mr Smith, but they claimed they did not intend to kill him.

“My thought’s remain with Mr Smith’s family at this distressing time,” she said. “I hope that these sentences bring them some sense of justice being done.”

Mr Smith’s family previously issued a tribute, in which they described being devastated at the loss of their son.

"He was a caring man and was loved by all who knew him. He was tragically taken from us and this has left a huge void in our lives,” they said.