Man found guilty of uncle's 'vicious' murder

Terry Ricketts died in the attack at his home after an evening socialising

A man has been found guilty of murder after smashing his uncle's head repeatedly into his own living room wall.

Grant Walker, 32, from Faringdon Road in Swindon, was found guilty by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, and will be sentenced on 4 October.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Ricketts, 53, died of blunt force trauma which resulted in a fatal brain injury.

Senior investigating officer, Det Insp Debbie Hatch, said she hoped the verdict would bring closure to the family, following the "vicious and violent unprovoked assault".

Walker was found guilty by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on Friday

The trial heard that on the evening of the 25 February, the pair had been socialising at Mr Ricketts’ home in Westbourne Court, Rodbourne, joined by Mr Ricketts’ wife, Sarah.

Mr Ricketts' widow told the court they had enjoyed a pleasant evening but the mood changed shortly after midnight, when Mr Ricketts left the room briefly to use the toilet.

His defence attorney, KC Adam Vaitilingam said upon his return, Walker was “grabbed from behind without warning” by his uncle, to which his “automatic reaction” was to put him in a headlock and “throw him forward against the wall”.

According to prosecutor Simon Jones, Walker then allegedly dragged Mr Ricketts across the room and "smashed" his head at least twice against a wall, before leaving him collapsed on the floor.

Mr Ricketts went into cardiac arrest and despite emergency medical treatment was declared dead at the scene.

'Forever missed'

In a subsequent police interview, Walker admitted assaulting Terry after he had come up behind him unexpectedly, but denied intending to kill him or cause him grievous bodily harm.

He was, however, found guilty of murder at the end of a five-day trial.

Following the verdict, Det Insp Hatch said: “First and foremost, my condolences go out to Terry’s family and loved ones.

“I’d like to thank them for their support and co-operation throughout this investigation and I hope this guilty verdict will bring an element of closure.

“On the evening in question, Terry should have been safe in his home enjoying an evening with his family, but was instead subjected to a vicious and violent unprovoked assault by his nephew which has sadly resulted in him losing his life.

“Terry was clearly a much-loved member of a family who will be forever missed."