Care home resident guilty of attempted murder

Tom Ingall & David Spereall
BBC News, Yorkshire
Family handout Kevin Ryan, a bald middle-aged man smiling at the camera.Family handout
Kevin Ryan suffered fractures and a punctured lung in the attack last December

A man has been found guilty of trying to kill a fellow care home resident.

Graham Dowling was convicted of the attempted murder of Kevin Ryan on 10 December last year at Burger Court, on Barkerend Road in Bradford, following a four-day trial.

Bradford Crown Court had previously heard that Mr Ryan, 61, had suffered a punctured lung and several fractures in the attack after an argument escalated.

Dowling, 36, who had admitted a charge of grievous bodily harm but denied attempted murder, was remanded into custody and will be sentenced at a later date.

The defendant had told the jury that he had punched and kicked Mr Ryan in self-defence after the victim "flipped my glasses".

The court had been told the dispute had started when Dowling discovered Mr Ryan had kissed his girlfriend, who was also a resident at the home for adults with mental health conditions and learning disabilities.

But the prosecution said the victim was so severely hurt that a medical consultant had likened his injuries to those sustained by someone who had fallen from a second-storey window onto a hard pavement.

The court heard Mr Ryan was not able to give evidence during the trial as he was not in a fit state.

The judge adjourned sentencing to allow for a psychiatric report.

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