Torture trio jailed for murdering man at city flat

Lee Hailstone, Keeran Edge and Amie Kehoe have all been given life sentences for murder

Three people have been jailed for murder after a man was tortured and killed in a Hull flat.

Lee Rhoades, 45, died from his injuries in hospital after being found at the property in Bathurst Street, Hull, in March.

Keeran Edge, 25, of Kilton Court, Lee Hailstone, 33, of Bathurst Street, and Amie Kehoe, 23, of Blisland Close, were all found guilty of murder following a five-week trial at Hull Crown Court.

On Wednesday, all three were jailed for life with Edge given a minimum of 31 years, Kehoe 28 years and Hailstone 16 years.

Paramedics found Lee Rhoades with serious head injuries on the bathroom floor at a property in Bathurst Street, Hull

After the sentencing, Det Supt Al Curtis said: “Lee was brutally tortured and murdered by the people he trusted and called his friends.

"Hailstone, Edge and Kehoe preyed on Lee’s vulnerabilities for a prolonged period of time and subjected him to a series of horrendous attacks, resulting in Lee losing his life."

Mr Curtis labelled the killers' actions "absolutely unforgivable".

Prosecutors said on 10 March, the defendants had attended a party at Hailstone’s flat where drugs and alcohol were consumed.

An argument broke out between Mr Rhoades and his killers which then escalated to violence, with Hailstone assaulting Mr Rhoades.

Edge and Kehoe then began torturing Mr Rhoades, recording their attacks and bragging about them in later messages, the prosecution said.

In a further act of cruelty, the defendants left Mr Rhoades without medical assistance until the early hours of 12 March.

Another woman, Toni Hodgson, 31, of no fixed address, received 16 months' imprisonment after admitting perverting the course of justice.

She cleaned up blood before the arrival of emergency services, prosecutors said.

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