Two charged over Richard Deakin murder

Two men were today appearing in court charged with the murder of a businessman who was shot dead in the bed of his Staffordshire home.

Police have been hunting the killers of Richard Deakin since July 2010 and brought charges against Darryl Dickens and David Harrison yesterday, 18 months to the day since the cold-blooded killing. Dickens, 33, and Harrison, 62, were due before magistrates in Cannock this morning.

The pair, both from Bilston, each face a murder charge while Harrison is also accused of robbery and possession of a firearm. They were kept in custody overnight.

Father-of-two Mr Deakin was lying in his bed at the family home in Meadway Street, Chasetown at around 8.10am on July 5 when he was shot twice in the head.

The Walsall skip hire boss, whose fiancee Megan and their young daughters Ellie and Jessica were out at the time, was killed instantly. He was 27.

Police have launched several appeals to encourage witnesses or anyone shielding the murderers to come forward with vital evidence, the latest of which coincided with the anniversary of Mr Deakin's death.

They offered a £20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

In December 2010 chilling CCTV images were shown on BBC's Crimewatch of a hitman walking through Mr Deakin's back garden. Cameras captured the gunman walk past a Wendy house and children's buggies before going into the home.

Three months earlier Mr Deakin's family issued their own heartfelt plea for information. Megan described her late husband as "lovely, caring and sincere" and said she could not understand why he had been targeted.

A black Vauxhall Corsa used by the killers was found abandoned in Coppy Nook Lane between Chasetown and Hammerwich.

Officers investigating the murder of Mr Deakin, who went to Cheslyn Hay High School and moved to Chasetown with his family in 2008, have made several arrests but never brought a charge before now.