Kenton murder: Steven Walton jailed for killing Jason Lord

A man who murdered a "gentle giant" for saying hello to a girl in the street has been jailed for at least 18 years.

Jason Lord, 50, had greeted the 12-year-old as he walked home in Kenton, Newcastle, in January.

After hearing of the brief exchange, Steven Walton, 42, of The Crossway, Kenton, drove after Mr Lord and repeatedly stamped on his head.

Walton was jailed for life with a minimum term after being convicted at Newcastle Crown Court of murder.

The court heard Mr Lord, who had learning difficulties, had been walking towards his flat on the Montagu Estate at about 19:30 GMT on 20 January when he briefly said hello to the girl.

Walton was told about the exchange and set off in a car to find Mr Lord.

By the time he found him Mr Lord, who had been drinking in Newcastle city centre, was lying on the ground near his home.

Walton kicked and stamped on his victim's head with "enormous force", shouting and swearing at the defenceless man before leaving him for dead, prosecutor Nicholas Lumley KC said.

He said Walton was "intent on violence" and there was an "element of vigilantism".

In a statement to court, Mr Lord's family said he was a "cheery and happy man" who liked chatting to people.

They said his moderate learning difficulties made him "loving and lovable", adding he had the "brain of a young child" and was a "gentle giant" with a "kind word for everybody".

They said they could not understand Walton's actions and Mr Lord had "done nothing wrong" and "simply said hello to someone".

His family said they were heartbroken at the thought of him dying alone in the street and were devastated by his death.

They said he liked drinking but was a "happy friendly drunk who was no threat to anybody".

His family said they were now looking to move away from the North East to escape the memories of what happened to him.

The court heard Walton killed three friends in 1998 when he was 17 by dangerous driving for which he was sentenced to four years in a young offenders' institution.

Mr Lumley said even after that Walton continued to drive dangerously, although his legal team said he suffered flashbacks and PTSD and the fatal crash involved an old car not fitted with rear seatbelts.

His Honour Judge Roger Thomas KC said Mr Lord had been a "pleasant" man who had "never done anybody any harm".

The judge said Mr Lord said nothing more than hello to the girl as he passed her and it was a "brief and unremarkable contact between an amiable drunk and a young girl".

But seconds later the girl's mother called her and the youth told her what had happened, erroneously claiming Mr Lord had said something like "come here" which caused the woman to panic, the court heard.

Walton heard about the incident and set out in his car to find the man, the judge said, having "entirely wrongly" decided Mr Lord was a paedophile without any evidence at all.

He said Walton acted as "some sort of vigilante" but Mr Lord was "entirely harmless and innocent".

Walton had told the court he only wanted to speak to the man but the judge said that was a lie.

He said upon finding Mr Lord lying on the grass asking for help, Walton "immediately set about viciously attacking the prone and defenceless" man.

The judge said Mr Lord would have died "very quickly" from the "sustained and extremely vicious" kicks and stamps on his head, with the attack lasting about 18 seconds.

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