Nelson cuckooing murder: 'Evil and manipulative bully' found guilty

Mr Brierley's family said Mustafa was "a coward and a bully"

An "evil and manipulative bully" who inflicted more than 160 injuries on a "vulnerable" man he had "cuckooed" has been found guilty of murder.

Naeem Mustafa, 46, inflicted fatal injuries on Michael Brierley at the 48-year-old's bungalow in Berkeley Close, Nelson, on 8 November 2021.

Lancashire Police said Mustafa, of Nelson, had been getting Mr Brierley's benefits paid into his bank account.

He denied murder but he was convicted by a jury at Preston Crown Court.

A police spokesman said Mustafa was also found guilty of assaulting Mr Brierley's 67-year-old partner, who tried to intervene during the "barbaric" attack.

He said Mr Brierley had suffered 164 injuries, the vast majority of which were caused by weapons.

He added that Mustafa, of St Paul's Road, had moved into the couple's home and exercised a controlling relationship over them, assaulting them both on numerous occasions before the murder.

'Exploited their vulnerabilities'

CCTV captured Mustafa and Mr Brierley walking to a nearby shop on the morning of the murder, which showed Mustafa assaulting the older man, using swearwords and telling him what to do.

Around lunchtime, Mr Brierley's partner called for an ambulance to report that he was lying unresponsive in the hallway.

Two minutes later, Mustafa was caught on camera leaving the property.

Mustafa was caught on CCTV hitting Mr Brierley on the morning of the murder

Forensic tests on his clothing, which he had tried to dispose of, proved Mustafa was "in close proximity" with Mr Brierley when he was attacked, the police spokesman said.

Mustafa was arrested in the early hours of the following morning, but claimed during police interviews that he was Mr Brierley's friend.

However, a jury unanimously found Mustafa guilty of murder and assault, while Jodie Clough, 31, of Nelson was found not guilty of assisting an offender.

He will be sentenced on 16 June.

Speaking after the hearing, Det Ch Insp Allen Davies said it had been "a barbaric, callous and sustained attack... on a kind and extremely vulnerable man".

He added that Mr Brierley and his partner were "victims of cuckooing", a process whereby criminals target the homes of vulnerable people and use them as bases, and Mustafa had "exploited their vulnerabilities for his own financial benefit".

In a statement, Mr Brierley's family said they had "struggled to understand how and why this happened".

They said Mustafa was "a coward and a bully", who had murdered Mr Brierley "in his own home where he should have felt safe".

"The loss of Michael has left a huge hole in our hearts," they added.

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