Twins guilty of killing man over drugs money

Shane Boxall, 44, died from a single punch to the head, sustained from the twins' attack, the court heard

Twin brothers have been convicted of the manslaughter of a man they attacked in his flat in Hull, but cleared of murdering him.

Shane Boxall, 44, was assaulted at his home on Alaska Street shortly before 06:00 BST on 25 April and died in hospital two days later.

Hull Crown Court heard Mr Boxall, who was a heroin user, had taken money from twins Kailum and Kieran Nightingale when they went to buy Class A drugs from him. The brothers forced their way into Mr Boxall's home and punched him causing fatal injuries.

Kailum Nightingale, 26, of Poplar Grove, and Kieran Nightingale, 26, of Vermont Crescent, Hull, are both due to be sentenced in January.

'Blow to his head'

The court heard Mr Boxall had died from a single punch to the head sustained by the twins' attack.

Prosecutor James Bourne-Arton KC told jurors the Nightingale twins "barged" into the 44-year-old's home at about 05:45 and Mr Boxall locked himself in his bedroom.

He said the pair then "smashed the bedroom door down to get to Mr Boxall" before Kailum threw the fatal punch.

Following the blow to his head, Mr Boxall fell to the floor and suffered a seizure.

Defence barrister Peter Makepeace, for Kailum, said Mr Boxall had been holding a knife as he fled into the bedroom but dropped it when he was confronted by the twins.

Mr Makepeace said Kailum had "reasonably struck him to retrieve his stolen money" and "couldn't have possibly known the consequences".

Katherine Goddard, defending Kieran, told the court: "No one says they saw Kieran deliver that fatal blow, nor make any movements to deliver that fatal blow."

The brothers stayed in the living room after the attack and were later forced out of the house by a flatmate, Mr Makepeace said.

The twins are due to be sentenced at Hull Crown Court on 9 January.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.