Arthur Gumbley: Burglar found guilty of brutal pensioner murder
A man has been found guilty of the brutal murder of an 87-year-old pensioner during a burglary at his home.
Jason Wilsher, aged 20, was one of at least two men who punched and kicked great-grandfather Arthur Gumbley before ransacking his detached bungalow in Little Aston, near Walsall.
Carpet burns on his back revealed how the battered victim was dragged around the Endwood Drive property as his attackers demanded to know where the money was. Drag marks in blood from Mr Gumbley's fingers were found on the walls.
The intruders also skinned the flesh from the back of his hand as they pulled a watch from his wrist during the break-in on November 21, 2017.
Mr Gumbley remembered being punched, falling to the floor and being kicked in the shoulder after hearing noises while watching TV, but he was unable to remember anything else from the attack.
The retired businessman, who also suffered several broken ribs, died in hospital three weeks later as a result of his injuries.
The men fled in a blue Mazda car which was used in another violent burglary four days later.
The 83-year-old survivor of that attack, in Derbyshire, has been recommended for a High Sheriff's award for his bravery in standing up to his assailants.
Crimewatch appeal
An image of Mr Gumbley's bruised and swollen face as he lay in his hospital bed was shown on TV's Crimewatch in a bid to catch his killers.
A number of cherished items were stolen in the robbery, including a prized Henry VIII Angel gold coin found by Mr Gumbley, a keen metal detectorist, during one of his outings.
Jewellery belonging to his late wife was also taken.
Wilsher, one of seven sons from a travelling family, was arrested almost a year later.
He had previous convictions, along with some of his brothers, for similar targeted attacks on the elderly across the Midlands.
DNA and CCTV
The defendant's DNA was found on a bedroom drawer although he claimed not to have been present.
However the likelihood it did not belong to him was 860 million to one, the two-week trial heard.
CCTV footage and mobile phone data were also crucial in the investigation.
A jury at Stafford Crown Court took six hours to reach their unanimous verdict on the charges of murder and conspiracy to rob.
Wilsher, of Barlestone Road in Bagworth, Leicestershire, had denied both charges.
Judge Michael Chambers, QC, postponed sentencing until tomorrow morning.
'Brutal and horrific'
After the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Dan Ison, who led the murder inquiry, said: "“I am pleased that the jury has returned this verdict, but our first thoughts are with Arthur and his family.
“This was a planned and totally unnecessary attack on an 87-year-old man in his own home. The injuries sustained by Arthur were brutal and horrific.
"Arthur had his eye blacked and his arms were covered in bruising.
"He also suffered a number of fractured ribs likely to have been caused from a fall or a blow.”
Describing the investigation as complex and far-reaching, he added: "Detectives worked meticulously to trace the car and then work through thousands of hours of CCTV and phone records and questioning to be able to arrive at Wilsher as a suspect.
"It was months of hard work that identified him and it is startling that the science of DNA proves effectively Wilsher is the only man in Europe who could've contributed to the sample found at Arthur's home."
He said that the inquiry into others believed to have been involved continued.
Another brutal burglary
Detectives made a breakthrough after four months of studying CCTV when the Mazda RX8 getaway car was linked to Mr Gumbley's murder and another brutal burglary in Derbyshire.
The Derbyshire burglary happened four days after the raid on Mr Gumbley's home when three masked men knocked on the door of a farmhouse north of Mansfield.
The men forced their way in and attacked occupant Dennis Taylor, knocking him down and punching him while demanding to know where he kept his money.
Mr Taylor's head was repeatedly struck on a hearth. He was hit with a baseball bat and a knife pushed through his lip before the men ransacked his house and demanded the code for his safe.
They made off with jewellery and £800 in cash.
The Mazda was caught on nearby CCTV speeding towards and away from the farm.
It was found later that evening burnt out in a country lane.
Detectives found it had been sold privately in London and telephone numbers involved in the sale led officers to Wilsher’s family members.
An alias of ‘John Smiff’ had been given but Wilsher’s address of Barlestone Road, Bagworth, Leicestershire was written on the V62 document.
The forensic work at Mr Gumbley's bungalow also took four weeks, with 188 exhibits sampled.
Wilsher claimed he had never visited Mr Gumbley's bungalow but these claims were proved wrong by DNA samples.
Wilsher's DNA was one of three profiles lifted from a draw handle in the ransacked bedroom.
The hunt for the other burglars continues.
