Man jailed for life for murder of man from Swindon
It happened in January last year in the Beechcroft Road area.
Last updated 20th Jul 2023
A man has been jailed for life, for murdering another man in Swindon.
It happened in January last year.
Paul Warren, who's from Old Town, killed 54-year-old Martin Brown as he was walking home in the Beechcroft Road area.
The 25-year-old repeatedly punched Mr Brown in the head, until he handed over his wallet.
He was left in the street with serious injuries - before being spotted several hours later by a an off-duty paramedic and taken to hospital.
He died 11 days later.
Warren was also sentenced to a minimum term of four years for robbery, which will run concurrently.
In a personal impact statement provided to the court, Martin’s sister Gail said her family will never be the same following the horrific events that unfolded last year.
“What happened on the night my brother was attacked will change many people’s lives forever, and I cannot bear the thought of this happening to anyone else,” she said.
“Martin was a good man, very popular with lots of friends and always the joker. He was proud of his children and loved his grandchildren, often sending me pictures of them. He had lots to live for, but he was taken from us too soon.
“The thought of Martin being attacked and lying out on the cold all night is unbearable. He really didn’t deserve this to happen to him.
“What happened to Martin has made me more nervous of my surroundings when I am out and who is around, because Martin was just walking along that day, minding his own business.
“His memory will live on with his family and children.”
Det Chief Insp Phil Walker said: “Martin had missed the last bus home after doing a grocery shop at a local supermarket so he decided to walk to his home address in Queensfield. Tragically, he was targeted by Warren who launched a violent and sustained attack on him, repeatedly punching him to the head until he handed over his wallet and provided the PIN number to his bank card.
“Martin was left seriously injured - we believe he attempted to continue on his journey home, but collapsed in the street due to the severity of his injuries. He was later found and taken to hospital where he tragically died a few days later.
“Officers continued with their enquiries and were able to piece together Martin’s final movements and through CCTV enquiries were able to identify Warren as the man behind the attack – he was arrested initially on suspicion of robbery, before a charge of murder was authorised after Martin sadly died as a result of his injuries.
“This was a completely random attack and Warren’s actions were totally cowardly – he has devastated a family and all of those who knew Martin.
“Violence of this severity will not be tolerated and we are committed to reducing violent incidents within our county and creating safer public spaces so people do not feel fearful when out and about in Wiltshire."