Man jailed for 'revenge killing' of grandad

Stephen Castle had blamed Mr Woodgate for a previous prison spell

A man who strangled a grandfather to death before dumping him in undergrowth as as part of a "revenge" killing has been jailed for life.

Stephen Castle, 60, killed 54-year-old Wayne Woodgate following a chance encounter in Tunbridge Wells last October.

He argued with Mr Woodgate, attacked him and left his body to be found six days later just off a main road near Peasmarsh, East Sussex.

Judge Julian Smith told Maidstone Crown Court that Castle had acted in "revenge", believing Mr Woodgate was responsible for a previous police raid on his home that had led to him being jailed.

Mr Woodgate had told family he feared Castle was "after him" as he thought he had 'grassed' on him, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

However, Det Ch Insp Neil Kimber, said: "There was absolutely no evidence to suggest Wayne Woodgate had grassed on Stephen Castle.

"This was all of his own volition, how he came to that position, and he believed it was Wayne Woodgate."

Mr Woodgate (pictured) was killed in 2024

In emotional victim impact statements read to the court, Mr Woodgate's children described the "void" his death had left in their lives "that could never be filled".

His son George Woodgate said he stills feels traumatised and described Castle as "the bully that took dad away from me, the coward that took away a grandfather".

"I think about his final moment, I think about how scared he must've been," he added.

The court heard how Castle had a long history of offending.

Convictions for aggravated burglary, assault occasioning ABH and armed robbery dated back to the 1980s

It was four years after being released from prison for possession of sawn off shotguns and shells that Castle attacked Mr Woodgate, because he was convinced he had informed about the weapons to the police.

Det Ch Insp Kimber described Castle as one of the most dangerous criminals he had come across.

He will serve a minimum of 25 years in prison.