Man sentenced to life in prison for murdering his grandfather and killing a neighbor’s cat

  A 27-year-old man sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his grandfather was sentenced after pleading guilty. Benjamin Dunlop, of no fixed address, appeared at Leicester Crown Court to be sentenced for the crime he admitted to in November 2022 at the same court. Ronald Dunlop, 75, was discovered dead just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at the address where Ben Dunlop was temporarily staying with his grandfather in Hart Drive, Measham. East Midlands Ambulance Service dispatched police to the scene. East Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the address after receiving a call about the two men’s well-being and concerns that Ben had injured himself. Ronald was discovered dead at the address, along with a dead cat belonging to a neighbour.

  Benjamin returned to the address a short time later and admitted to the ambulance crew that he had injured both his grandfather and the cat. Two days later, Benjamin Dunlop was charged with murder. In addition, he was charged with criminal damage in connection with the death of a cat. He was sentenced to six months in prison concurrently for this. First and foremost, my thoughts remain with Ronald’s family,” said Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Nicole Main of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit. “While this sentence will not bring him back or repair the tragic situation in which this family has found itself, knowing that Ben is serving his time for what he did will hopefully allow them to move on from what has been a long wait for justice.”