A couple who forced a vulnerable man to eat from bins and filmed themselves abusing him have been jailed for life for his murder.
asserted
themselves → force → murder
Rubin Blount, 28, weighed 40kg (6st 4lb) when he died in November 2022 after being forced to stand for long periods and lie in his own urine by his stepbrother Kenneth Newton and his wife Melanie James in Tamworth, Staffordshire.
asserted
he → weigh → Tamworth
Newton, 58, and James, 64, both from Birmingham, were each jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years in prison.
asserted
Newton → jail → prison
A member of the public in the court shouted 'rot in hell' as Newton and James were sent down on Friday after Mrs Justice Jefford
The judge said the pair abused their position of trust and showed an 'abject failure' to help Mr Blount, who had severe learning difficulties and could not live independently.
uncertain
who → shout → difficulties
After becoming unwell in November 2022, Mr Blount, who was severely dehydrated and malnourished, was taken to hospital and suffered a cardiac arrest on arrival.
asserted
who → become → arrival
He was resuscitated but remained in a critical condition until his death three days later on November 30.
asserted
He → resuscitate → November
While in hospital, doctors found Mr Blount had extensive pneumonia, severe infection, rib and spine fractures and burns, lesions and grazes.
asserted
Blount → find → pneumonia
Rubin Blount, who had severe learning difficulties, died in November 2022 after being abused by his stepbrother and his partner
He had 50 rib fractures, 47 of which were inflicted in the weeks before his death.
asserted
47 → have → death
Police found Newton and James mocked Mr Blount's appearance and intellect, while he lived in 'abhorrent' conditions including a bedroom littered with mould.
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he → find → mould
Jennifer Josephs KC, prosecuting, said he must have been in 'extreme pain and suffering before he died.
She said Mr Blount, who was 'considerably mentally impaired', was particularly vulnerable and the defendants inflicted 'deliberate cruelty' to him, leaving him to lie in his own urine, making him 'stand to attention' and eat out of bins.
asserted
him → prosecute → bins
They denied him medical care until he was 'beyond help', Ms Josephs said.
asserted
Josephs → deny → help
James, who wore a white T-shirt, a grey jacket and blue jeans in the dock, sobbed and wiped away tears as Ms Josephs said her and Newton's abuse continued for months.
She said: 'Mr Blount's death was the culmination of a prolonged course of conduct perpetrated against a man who was unable to speak for himself.'
asserted
who → wear → himself
Newton, who wore a dark grey jumper and light grey Nike tracksuit bottoms in the dock, leaned forward and kept his head down.
asserted
who → wear → head
In a victim impact statement read to the court by Ms Josephs, Mr Blount's mother Jeanette Blount said her son was vulnerable and deserved 'compassion, dignity and a chance to live his life'.
asserted
son → read → life
Kenneth Newton was jailed for a minimum of 21 years on Friday for Mr Blount's murder
Melanie James, Newton's partner, abused Mr Blount alongside his stepbrother, forcing him to stand for long periods and leaving him to lie in his own urine
She said: 'We all believed they loved him and would take care of him.
asserted
they → jail → him
We had no reason to believe otherwise.
asserted
We → have → reason
I never believed there would come a time Rubin would no longer be here.
asserted
Rubin → believe → ?
He was a son, a brother and friend and a person who was deeply loved by so many people – not just us, but people who knew him in the community.
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who → love → community
His life mattered and his loss has been felt by us all.
asserted
loss → matter → us
No sentence can bring back our son or take away the trauma that we now carry.
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we → bring → that
'He deserved compassion, dignity and a chance to live his life.
asserted
He → deserve → life
His future was stolen and our family must now live with a lifetime of heartbreak.'
asserted
family → steal → heartbreak
Defending James, Rebecca Wade KC urged Mrs Justice Jefford to offer the female defendant 'light at the end of the tunnel and something to work towards' as she acknowledged she would not be released until she was at least 80.
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she → defend → tunnel
She said: 'No one could fail to be moved by the emotive nature of the trial and what Rubin Blount went through in his life.
'
uncertain
Blount → say → life
No one could fail to be disgusted by Melanie James' actions towards this vulnerable man.
uncertain
one → fail → man
She is a woman who has had a difficult life of her own.
asserted
who → have → own
A phrase used by me during my closing speech to the jury was walk a mile in my shoes, and I repeat those words now.
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I → use → words
Her background doesn't excuse what she has done, but recognition of it goes some way to provide some sort of explanation for it.
asserted
recognition → excuse → it
A common phrase is "the abused becomes the abuser" and that is something that may well be true in Melanie James's case.
uncertain
that → abuse → case
There is some evidence to show that, at one point, she did care for Rubin and did love him, and him her.
asserted
she → be → him
'Something shifted and we would submit that such a shift was her ability to cope with the stresses and strains of life and that was much to Rubin's detriment.'
asserted
that → shift → detriment
A video shown in court depicted Blount being abused and taunted by James
Mark Heywood KC, defending Newton, said through no fault of his own, Mr Blount was a 'challenging' person to care for.
He added: 'This is a case where only really serious harm was intended, not death.
asserted
harm → show → own
There was evidence in the trial that Mr Blount had been a challenging person to care for, not through any fault of his own.
asserted
Blount → be → own
This relationship did start off well and with good hopes, it was hoped it would prove a sanctuary for Rubin.
asserted
it → start → Rubin
'What caused it to deteriorate in the manner that led to his death can't be dealt with as simply as saying he was financially advantageous for them, or that he became a burden.
asserted
he → cause → them
They were ill equipped.'
asserted
They → equip → ?
Passing sentence, Mrs Justice Jefford said Mr Blount had 'more or less disappeared from view' and had not left the house for around two months before his death.
asserted
Blount → pass → death
She said a series of videos made by the defendants on November 2, 2022 showed how the defendants treated Mr Blount.
asserted
defendants → say → Blount
The videos showed him 'emaciated, gaunt, stooped and broken, standing in the doorway'.
asserted
him → show → doorway
'You accused him of putting on his poor physical state, you mocked him, you flung abuse at him… you laughed and seemed to find this abhorrent behaviour amusing.
'
asserted
behaviour → accuse → him
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
