Coventry killers face longer in jail
Murderers Stephen Weeks and Drew Thorpe have had their sentences increased following ULS referral
Court of appeal
Coventry murderers Stephen Weeks, 48, and Drew Thorpe, 20, have had their minimum term life prison sentences increased to 20 years and 15 years by the Court of Appeal after Robert Buckland QC MP challenged them as unduly lenient.
Stephen Weeks and Drew Thorpe beat Lee Brooks as he slept with a claw hammer and spanner so severely that he died in hospital on 31 August 2016. When the police arrived, Stephen Weeks tried to persuade them to go away, despite knowing that Lee Brooks was severely injured upstairs with more than 20 head injuries. That lie unravelled when the police started searching the house and Drew Thorpe attempted to run away.
Both men denied that they had intended to cause the death of Mr Brooks and blamed each other. Weeks was sentenced to life to serve a minimum of 16 years and Thorpe to life to serve a minimum of 12 years. The Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP considered this too lenient and the court agreed, imposing minimum terms of 20 years and 15 years respectively.
Speaking after the court hearing the Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP said:
The minimum terms failed to reflect the gravity of a brutal attack with weapons, which was pre-meditated and carried out by two people who the judge found had intended to kill the defenceless victim and who succeeded in their aim. I hope the increased sentences bring some comfort to Mr Brooks’ family.