Pensioner made 'haunting' gesture on CCTV before he was killed by own grandson

A man has been found guilty of the manslaughter of his frail and vulnerable grandfather and of attackingtwo other victims at a working men’s club.

Warwick Crown Court was told well-known Jaguar restoration expert John Brown, aged 81, died six days after suffering head injuries in his home at the hands of Jakob Walpole, 33, who was cleared of murder. As well as returning a guilty verdict on an alternative charge of manslaughter on Wednesday, jurors found Walpole guilty of breaching a restraining order and two counts of assault.

Walpole, of School Road, Bulkington, Warwickshire, will be sentenced next Monday. A three-week trial was told that security cameras in the victim’s bungalow provided important evidence of the defendant’s responsibility for the killing.

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Opening the Crown’s case on July 9, prosecutor Michael Duck KC told jurors Walpole had been “drinking throughout the day” and committed two assaults at Bulkington Working Men’s Club around an hour after attacking his grandfather on the night of November 23 last year.

Mr Duck told jurors: “John Brown is Jakob Walpole’s grandfather. He was a frail man and he had recently been diagnosed with the early stages of dementia. He was plainly a vulnerable individual and the evidence will demonstrate that this defendant was acutely aware of that.”

Mr Brown was well known in the local community, having run a successful car panel and body repair business due to his expertise in respect of vintage cars, the court heard.

Walpole had engaged in a “very significant day of drinking”, having bought a small bottle of vodka from a shop in Bulkington at about 9am, before attending a match at Coventry City’s home stadium in the afternoon, the court heard.

After attacking his relative, he went on to smash a glass over the back of a working men’s club customer’s head in an incident caught on the “clearest possible” CCTV footage. Walpole then made “physical and direct contact” with a bar worker as he was physically removed from the club.

The court heard relatives had expressed concern about Walpole’s “deteriorating” behaviour since the Covid pandemic, leading to Mr Brown’s daughter installing security cameras at her parents’ home in St James Gardens, Bulkington.

Jurors were asked to evaluate whether or not Walpole intended really serious harm in considering the murder charge, after watching CCTV images of Mr Brown making a “haunting” video gesturing towards the camera for help before the attack.

Mr Duck said the jury “may think it was a gesture of desire for assistance”. The prosecutor said at the beginning of the trial: “The reality is that on the 23rd of November, in drink, Jakob Walpole descended to a tirade of violence."

Commenting after the case, Natalie Kelly, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Jakob Walpole carried out a senseless and brutal attack on his own grandfather who had tried to help him.

“He showed no concern or remorse following the attack. Rather than call for help, he callously left his vulnerable and elderly grandfather severely injured and went to a local pub where he assaulted two further elderly victims.

“Everyone who knew Mr Brown saw how much he did for his grandson, often going out of his way to care and support him – but Walpole simply took advantage of his kindness. We were able to prove this case using comprehensive evidence including CCTV footage, mobile phone evidence and messages which clearly demonstrated Walpole’s violent intentions and actions.

“While this conviction ensures Walpole is held accountable for his actions, the family have been left with a deep and lasting pain that no justice can erase.” Detective Inspector Gareth Unett, who led the investigation for Warwickshire Police, said: “John Brown was a kind, gentle, hardworking man whose loss has left a huge void in the lives of his loved ones and friends.

“Not only was he loved greatly by all those around him, he was known internationally as one of the best restorers of classic Jaguars. The legacy he leaves is not only in the love and generosity he showed to those around him, but also in the countless classic cars that will survive for generations more thanks to his work.

“Walpole’s attack on his grandfather, who had shown him nothing but kindness and generosity, was an act of cowardice and brutality that, in decades of policing, I struggle to find a comparison for. His later attack in the working men’s club only serves as further confirmation that Walpole is a danger to decent, peaceful, law-abiding people.

“Our thoughts remain with Mr Brown’s family, in what is a terribly sad case. They have shown dignity and respect in the most challenging of circumstances.”