JONATHAN BOWLING, 22, battered Alan Greaves, 68, around the head with a pick-axe handle as he walked to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve last year.
Enterprise News and Pictures
A MAN who battered a church organist to death as he walked to Midnight Mass was yesterday jailed for a minimum of 25 years.
As he jailed Jonathan Bowling, judge Mr Justice Teare told him: ?Why you wished to inflict violence on another human being on Christmas Eve is known only to you.?
The judge made the comments at Sheffield Crown Court as he sentenced Bowling to life in prison for the murder of lay preacher Alan Greaves, 68.
Bowling, 22, battered Alan around the head with a pick-axe handle as the pensioner walked to play the organ for Midnight Mass at St Saviour?s Church in High Green, Sheffield, on December 24 last year.
The father of four suffered catastrophic head injuries and died three days later in hospital.
Another man, Ashley Foster, 22, was found guilty on Thursday of Alan?s manslaughter and was yesterday jailed for nine years.
The judge told Bowling and Foster: ?You chose your victim at random.
?Alan Greaves happened to be in front of you, on his way to serve the community, as he had always done, and you decided to inflict violence on him.?
The judge said the attack took place on Christmas Eve ?on what is usually one of the happiest days of the year?.
He said: ?Neither of you knew Alan Greaves. He had done nothing to provoke the attack on him. He was merely walking to church to help his local community celebrate Christmas.
?His wife, his family and his community have suffered a tragic and horrendous loss.?
Bowling had admitted murder at a previous hearing.
Alan?s widow, Maureen, said she was ?happy? with the sentences.
Outside court, she said: ?I really am extremely pleased with the result today.
?To think Ashley?s got nine years is the very best we could have got in the circumstances of the manslaughter.
?To think that Jonathan?s got 25 minimum and to think he?ll probably never come out, I really am wonderfully pleased with the result.?
Maureen told reporters she would not read a letter Bowling had written to her.
She said: ?To put it into my hands the day he was going to get sentenced, I didn?t think it was very appropriate.?
Source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/man-who-battered-church-organist-2068053
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