BRITAIN: Twin brothers who sneaked out of their 18th birthday party to steal from their step-grandmother were yesterday sentenced to nine years each for her manslaughter after she was killed during the robbery.
Robert and Jonathan Maskell (now 20), who were cleared of the murder of Anjelica Hallwood (74), were also found guilty of robbery, along with their accomplice in the killing, Dwane Johnston (19).
Johnston, who had been going out with Ms Hallwood's granddaughter, was also sentenced to nine years. "It is difficult to imagine a more despicable crime," Judge Gerald Gordon told them in the Old Bailey, London. "For reasons of pure greed and regardless of any effect upon her, you sought to rob her.
"You could so easily have arranged to steal while she was out and safe but not a bit of it, even though you knew that in order to rob her she would have to be restrained to enable you to carry out your ransacking."
During their trial last month, the jury heard how the Maskells believed Ms Hallwood had thousands of pounds in savings and wanted the cash to spend on mobile phones.
As they ransacked her house, Johnston, who had just been released from prison and had been staying with Ms Hallwood, confronted the pensioner before beating and strangling her on January 28th, 2004. Her injuries included several broken ribs, a smashed eye socket and fractured cheekbone.
Although Ms Hallwood was the twins' step-grandmother, she had known them since they were born and they called her "gran".
The jury heard how the twins had been celebrating their birthday at their Edmonton, north London home, but left to meet up with Johnston.
After the killing, they bought kebabs and returned to the party. They were later caught on CCTV joking and laughing as they tried to spend the money, although much of the £1,000 was in outdated currency. - (Reuters)