Two guilty of drug addict Anthony Winter's manslaughter

A man and a 17-year-old boy have been found guilty of the manslaughter of a drug addict over a £500 debt.

John Junior Phillips, 28, from Newport, and the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were found not guilty of murder at Cardiff Crown Court.

A 17-year-old girl, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, has been acquitted of murder.

Anthony Winter, 32, was beaten and tortured in St Julians, Newport, before being taken to St Mellons, Cardiff.

There he was stabbed and left in woodland.

Christopher James Jones, 19, from Cardiff, had already pleaded guilty to murder before the trial began.

The judge, Mrs Justice Nerys Jefford, said sentencing will be on Tuesday, 16 July.

The court had heard that on November 21, 2018, Mr Winter was lured to a Newport flat with the promise of smoking crack with his dealer, John Junior Phillips.

Attempts were made to transfer £500 he owed using phone banking.

When those attempts failed, Mr Winter was repeatedly beaten over six hours by Phillips, Jones and the 17-year-old boy. They repeatedly struck his face and his body.

After several hours of beating Mr Winter, Phillips ordered a taxi to take the others from the flat. Mr Winter, Jones, the boy and a 17-year-old girl, were driven to St Mellons.

The court heard Mr Winter was walked into nearby woodland by the boy before Jones pulled a knife and stabbed his victim in the leg where an artery was severed.

Jones, the boy and the girl, left the woodland and were seen on CCTV walking calmly away from the scene nine minutes after they were dropped off by the taxi.

It took the jury seven hours to reach their verdicts on Friday.