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Andrew Kelly

Age: 51

Sex: male

Date: 2 Dec 2015

Place: Victoria Street, Goldthorpe, South Yorkshire

Andrew Kelly was found dead at his home in Victoria Street, Goldthorpe on 2 December 2015.

A 34-year-old man who lived next door to him was tried for his murder but acquitted. The man was a heroin addict and he was charged with having robbed and murdered Andrew Kelly in his home between 30 November and 2 December 2015, but he denied it.

It was heard that Andrew Kelly, who lived off benefits, was known to be generous with his money and to have been a soft touch to borrow money from. It was also found that he had just received about £2,400 from a disability benefit back payment about six weeks before he was murdered, and it was claimed that his neighbours had found out about. It was also said that the man tried for Andrew Kelly's murder had known Andrew Kelly's bank details and that he had stolen £170 from his account about two days before he died and that Andrew Kelly had reported the theft of the £170 to the police before he died.

During their investigations the police went to see Andrew Kelly's neighbours, the man tried and a woman, who were both heroin addicts and when they interviewed the woman on 16 December 2015 it was said that she told them that the man had gone to see Andrew Kelly on 1 December 2015 to borrow £20 from him at about 10pm but that he had refused to lend him any more money. She said that she could hear them from where she was and she then heard Andrew Kelly say to the man, 'get your arm off me'. However, she said that she then left the house to look for some cigarettes.

She then said that when she returned the man had Andrew Kelly's wallet and told her that he thought that he had killed him. She said that he told her that he had given him a ‘sleeper', which meant that he had put his arm around his neck and held his forehead and then counted to twenty at which point Andrew Kelly collapsed.

At the trial the prosecution added that the following day a friend of Andrew Kelly knocked at his door at about 10am but got no reply and that when he returned again at about 12 midday there was still no reply. However, he said that whilst knocking the man from next door came out and told him that he had not seen Andrew Kelly but told him that his back door was open. Andrew Kelly's friend said that he and the neighbour then went into Andrew Kelly's house through the back door and found him lying on his living room floor. It was heard that paramedics and the police were called but that Andrew Kelly was pronounced dead shortly after.

It was noted that Andrew Kelly suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which affected his mobility and his breathing.


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