Man, 31, who beat his neighbour, 50, to death with a bag of Pokémon cards because he was angry about being called a ‘nonce’ is jailed for life
- Andrew Hague murdered Simon Wilkinson in a ‘ferocious and brutal’ attack
- He bludgeoned him to death with a bag filled with metal tins of the trading cards
- Mr Hague was sentenced for a minimum of 17 years by Judge Sarah Wright
A man who bludgeoned his neighbour to death with a bag full of Pokemon cards because he was angry about being called a ‘nonce’ has been jailed for life.
Andrew Hague, 31, murdered Simon Wilkinson, 50, in a ‘ferocious and brutal’ attack with makeshift weapons including a bag containing metal tins of the trading cards.
He also punched and stamped on the father-of-one in a sustained assault outside his flat which was witnessed by horrified neighbours, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
Mr Hague has been jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years.
Andrew Hague, 31, (pictured) murdered his neighbour in a ‘ferocious and brutal’ attack with makeshift weapons including a bag containing metal tins of the trading cards
Father-of-one Simon Wilkinson, 50, (pictured) was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics outside his flat
Judge Sarah Wright said: ‘This was an unremitting and merciless attack upon a neighbour of yours where you took the decision during the savage assault to kill him.’
Prosecutor Laura Marshall said both men had been involved in a verbal altercation with each other, during which Mr Wilkinson reportedly called the 31-year-old a ‘nonce b****rd’.
After telling Mr Wilkinson to ‘come out here and fight like a man’, Mr Hague attacked him with a bag containing four or five tins of Pokemon cards, she said.
Witnesses described seeing Mr Hague repeatedly swinging the bag ‘like a cricketer’, leaving the 50-year-old bloodied and lifeless on the ground, Ms Marshall told the court.
Mr Hague then repeatedly punched and stamped on the victim before retrieving a bat or a plank of wood and hitting him ‘numerous times’, the court heard.
Sheffield Crown Court (pictured) heard Mr Hague also punched and stamped on the father-of-one in a sustained assault that was witnessed by horrified neighbours.
Several neighbours who witnessed the prolonged attack made emergency calls to 999 and armed police and paramedics both arrived at the scene at 8.31pm.
But the father-of-one was pronounced dead at the scene just minutes after they arrived.
A post-mortem examination showed he died as a result of head and facial injuries, from repeated severe blows.
Police body-cam footage showed Mr Hague retreated to his ground-floor flat and put several layers of clothing on as armed officers negotiated with him.
He subsequently agreed to be handcuffed and arrested, leaving his flat via a window.
He pleaded guilty to murder at a previous hearing last month and was jailed on Tuesday.
Mr Hague suffered from a psychotic illness, most likely schizophrenia, and a personality disorder and had stopped taking his medication before the killing, the court heard.
Judge Sarah Wright recommended Mr Hague be re-admitted to Rampton high-security psychiatric hospital (pictured) where the court heard he had been responding well to treatment.
Mr Hague’s barrister, Andrew Vout KC, said his illness fell short of offering him a defence of diminished responsibility or insanity, but it was a ‘significant factor’ in the killing.
He said: ‘He’s made choices, but he’s made them through a distorted prism.’
In a statement read to the court, Mr Wilkinson’s mother Eileen said: ‘I cannot describe the pain and heartbreak we feel, which is unbearable at times, caused by a barbaric, brutal and evil attack of violence.
‘Simon was loved by friends and family for his sense of humour, kindness and friendship.’
Judge Wright recommended Mr Hague be re-admitted to Rampton high-security psychiatric hospital, where the court heard he had been responding well to treatment.
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