Two teenager thugs jailed for murder after Springburn attack

Two thugs locked up for trying to kill an innocent dad have now been convicted of murder after the victim later died. Daniel Kinlan and Darren Boland pounced on Ajani Tella as he returned home from church in August 2015.

The brutal attack in Springburn, Glasgow included Mr Tella being kicked and stamped on the head 20 times.

The pair - then just 15 and 16 - were each sentenced to more than six years behind bars after they pleaded guilty to attempted murder in November 2015.

Mr Tella (60) - who was left badly brain damaged - later died from pneumonia in December 2016.

In a rare move, prosecutors then hauled Kinlan and Boland back into the dock to face a murder charge.

The duo denied the accusation despite the ferocity of their attack.

It was claimed there was no “direct link” between the fatal pneumonia and the brain injury.

There were also accusations of poor care Mr Tella had allegedly received at a nursing home he resided at.

But, Kinlan (18) and Boland (19) now each face a life sentence after being found guilty following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

They will learn the minimum they will spend behind bars next month.

Mr Tella - originally from Nigeria - was set upon as he returned to his tower block from a night-time vigil at his local church.

Kinlan had taken a cocktail of cider and drugs. Boland meantime had downed a large amount of vodka.

They turned on the man after Boland initially tried to grab his hat.

Mr Tella yelled for help before he was punched on the head and body.

Horror CCTV footage saw the dad then being pummelled as he lay helpless on the ground.

Prosecutor Stewart Ronnie told the 2015 hearing: “He was unable to defend himself. Kinlan kicked him on the head two of three times.

“Boland also kicked him. Kinlan then kicked and stamped on the victim's head as he lay prone around 20 times.

“Whilst doing this, he took hold of fencing solely to achieve a more effective stamp.”

The young thugs then left their victim blood-soaked and unconscious.

They were later snared for the assault. Mr Tella's blood was found on Kinlan's Nike trainers and Boland's North Face jacket.

Boland later described the attack as a “carry on that went too far”.

Kinlan's own lawyer at the time branded it a “truly horrific crime”.

In 2016, Kinlan was locked up for six years and nine months. His accomplice was sentenced to six years and three months.

Mr Tella later passed away at a nursing home in Glasgow's east end.

He had been described as severely disabled and that it was “unlikely” he would live an independent life again.

The murder trial largely focused on whether the brutal attack caused his eventual death.

Jurors were told he had already suffered from a number of illnesses including a heart condition, diabetes and kidney disease.

There was also an accusation of a “monumental lack of care” towards Mr Tella at a nursing home he was at.

Kinlan's QC Derek Ogg said Mr Tella - described as “at high risk of infection” - once “looked as if he had not been washed for weeks”.

Donald Findlay QC, defending Boland, claimed Mr Tella was “entitled to better than he received”.

But, advocate depute Lynsey MacDonald told jurors in the murder trial: “Mr Tella would not have died what he died of had they not attacked him as they did on August 1 2015.”

Lady Stacey deferred sentencing for reports.