"I cannot unsee the horrific injuries Paul received."
Talvir Girn and Kulvinder Nath have been jailed for a minimum of 34 years after they were responsible for the brutal death of a man.
They beat 53-year-old Paul Steele to death in his own flat.
Derby Crown Court heard that 40-year-old Girn kicked and stamped on the defenceless victim while his accomplice Nath, aged 52, joined in.
In an almost four-week trial, the two men had entered Mr Steele’s flat in Lapwing Close, Sinfin, Derby, and beat him to death.
John Lloyd-Jones, prosecuting, explained that Mr Steele lived alone with his cat and played computer games.
He said this lifestyle may have been a reason why the men “picked on him”.
Mr Steele sustained fractures to his jaw, cheek and rib. He also suffered bruising to his thigh and right testicle.
The victim also suffered a traumatic brain injury and fractured breastbone, along with blunt force injuries to his head and face.
Girn later boasted how he and Nath had “flat-packed” Mr Steele at the property.
Both men had denied being responsible for Mr Steele’s brutal death. However, a jury found Girn guilty of murder and Nath guilty of manslaughter.
Mr Steele’s sister Tracey Steele read out a victim impact statement on behalf of the family.
She said: “Our hearts are broken. Losing Paul to two men who one day chose to take his life for their own gratification is hard for us.
“Like everyone, he had his faults but he had atoned for his past. He was a kind, beautiful soul who did not ask for help and would not harm anyone.
“He was the sort of person that would give you his last cigarette if you asked.
“He was trusting and sadly that was his downfall. For the past year, he had lived at Lapwing Close with his cat Lucy who he doted on.
“He did not have much and would buy cat food for her before buying food for himself.
“That is the sort of person he was.
“Watching the CCTV of his last moments in court knowing in hindsight the evil that was coming next was the hardest thing to do.
“It has left us feeling pain and sadness.
“I was awoken in the early hours with the police telling me Paul had been murdered.
“I was numb, I had to call my brothers and sisters, how do you tell them their brother has been murdered knowing you are going to change their lives forever?
“The reality kicked in for us as a family when we had to go to the mortuary to see him.
“I cannot unsee the horrific injuries Paul received.
“We are serving a life sentence knowing we will never see Paul again.”
Judge Nirmal Shant QC told the defendants: “Paul Steele had a loving family who have described him as gentle and quiet and who always put others before himself.
“You men choosing to take his life for your own gratification is something they find hard to accept or understand.
“They feel anger and bitterness that you made their brother suffer so violently in his last moments.
“Paul Steele was punched, kicked and stamped to death, his face was destroyed in a drink-fuelled attack in his own home.”
“Mr Girn, you played the leading role using your foot as a weapon, kicking and stamping on to the extent that blood was on your trainers.
“It was a sustained attack and you left him to die before boasting to others how you had ‘flat-packed’ him, an awful expression that you knew you had left him in bits.
“Mr Nath you participated in this joint attack but you did not inflict the fatal injuries.
“Mr Steele’s blood was on your clothing, your top and your jeans and a safe conclusion can be reached you were present during the sustained and frenzied attack and clearly you participated.”
Louise Sweeney, defending Girn, explained that he had three children. She said that her client had been drinking heavily following the breakdown of a relationship at the time of the killing.
She said: “The reality was there was no planning it was clearly a spontaneous eruption, it was not premeditated, he did not use a weapon.”
Christopher Henley, for Nath, said:
“Mr Girn must have gone significantly further than Mr Nath contemplated.
“The jury must have concluded that the injuries Mr Girn inflicted were more serious than Mr Nath expected.”
The Derby Telegraph reported that Talvir Girn, of Sinfin, was jailed for life and was told he would serve at least 19 years before he would be eligible to apply for parole.
Kulvinder Nath, of Stenson Fields, South Derbyshire, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
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