Couple jailed for life for murdering vulnerable man in their care

A court in Stafford, England, has sentenced Kenneth Newton and his partner Melanie James to life imprisonment for the murder of 28-year-old Rubin Blount, whom they were caring for at a property in Tamworth, Staffordshire. A jury convicted the pair of murder in July.

Blount, described as considerably mentally impaired and particularly vulnerable, was forced to stand for long periods, left lying in his own urine, and made to eat out of bins. The couple filmed themselves mocking and abusing him, and these videos were shown to the jury during the trial.

When Blount fell seriously ill, he was taken to hospital severely dehydrated and malnourished, weighing just 40kg. He suffered a cardiac arrest upon arrival and died three days later, on 30 November 2022. Doctors found extensive pneumonia, severe infection, fractures to his ribs and spine, and burns, lesions and grazes. In total he had 50 rib fractures, 47 of which were inflicted in the weeks before his death.

Sentencing each defendant to a minimum of 21 years, Mrs Justice Jefford said the couple had abused a position of trust and had abjectly failed to help Blount despite his evident pain and suffering. Prosecutor Jennifer Josephs KC said the pair denied him medical care until he was beyond help.

Blount's mother, Jeanette Blount, said in a victim impact statement that she had believed the couple loved and cared for her son, with no reason to think otherwise. Defence lawyers told the court the couple had been ill-equipped to cope with the challenges of caring for Blount. A Staffordshire police detective said after sentencing that the extent of Blount's injuries and the defendants' arrogance in trying to blame him for his own injuries was shocking and distressing.