Kevin Spaine, 43, of no fixed abode, was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Tuesday 21 February after previously pleading guilty to manslaughter. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years today, Wednesday 22 February.
At around 3pm on Wednesday 27 July, police were called to a house on Belmont Drive following a report that Learoy had been found with head injuries. Emergency services attended and he was taken to hospital where he sadly passed away.
Spaine fatally assaulted Learoy, with a Post Mortem finding that 53-year-old Learoy received “multiple forceful blows”, causing a brain injury.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Judith Blease said: “Spaine compounded the suffering of Learoy’s family by denying murder, and altering his story to try and avoid responsibility. Now, through this trial, we know now that Spaine repeatedly struck Learoy, and then left the scene without alerting anyone to the devastating injuries he had inflicted.
“Spaine will now be serving a significant jail term, due to an extensive investigation which overcame every obstacle Spaine tried to place in the way of our detectives.
“We understand that no sentence passed can ever undo the pain that Learoy’s death caused to his family and friends. But hopefully today’s conviction of Spaine does at least provide some sense of justice being done, and allows them to continue to try and come to terms with the devastating events of last July.”
Learoy Venner (above)
In a excerpt from the Victim Personal Statement read to the court, Learoy’s siblings said: “Learning of the tragic passing of our beloved brother Learoy has been difficult for us as a family to comprehend.
“Learoy had a beautiful personality and such a loving, gentle soul. We loved Learoy so much, we will forever hold him close and dearly to our hearts, minds and soul for the rest of our lives.
“Some of us have been too overwhelmed by the intensity of the process of the case and could not find the courage to attend the court hearing.
Our lives are in ruins, however we are full of gratitude for the Prosecuting Team and the Family Liaison Team, who have fully supported us along the agony and has better positioned us to deal with the effects.
“As the case comes to a close we can only hope we might now be able to substance the burden of losing our brother.”
