Man jailed after killing drug dealer in fight
A man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for killing a drug dealer in a fight over unpaid debts.
Francis Reilly, 63, died from his injuries following a three-minute fight in Ingrave Road, Brentwood, Essex, on September 12 last year.
Mr Reilly had sprayed ammonia from a bottle into the face of John Moore, who had come to the defendant’s home to collect payment for the drugs he had supplied.
Moore, 39, Admitted manslaughter, claiming he acted in self-defense When he hit Mr Reilly with a hammer and pushed him against the wall.
He was sentenced to 74 months in prison, the last third of his sentence being spent on his licence.
While handing down the sentence, Judge Samantha Leigh announced that the jury could not reach a verdict while Moore was on trial for murder.
Only later did the man confess to manslaughter when medical evidence revealed that hammer injuries were not the cause of Mr Reilly’s death.
The judge found post-mortem examinations found “catastrophic injuries” to Mr Reilly’s chest, including 20 broken ribs. His lungs were punctured and as a result his heart had failed.
Francis Reilly died after going to John Moore’s Brentwood home to confront him over unpaid drug debts [Essex Police]
The fight started in Moore’s apartment, and neighbors heard sounds “as if someone was being thrown around.”
After Moore was sprayed with ammonia in the face, Mr Reilly was hit with a hammer he found under his bed.
The argument spilled into the street and a taxi driver saw “someone being attacked with a hammer”, the judge said.
Two patrol officers were flagged down and police said Moore was “quickly” arrested. Mr Reilly died at the scene from his injuries.
Judge Leigh praised the conduct of Mr Reilly’s family throughout the hearing, saying they had handled it “patiently and with great dignity”.
“Yes, he was a drug dealer and had been violent before, but he was a family man, a husband, and he had children who will miss him very much,” he said.
John Moore continued to attack his victim outside his home in Ingrave Road [Elliot Deady/BBC]
His family said in a statement last year that he was a “loving father, brother, grandfather and uncle” who was “much loved by all his family and will be sadly missed”.
Det Insp Lisa Hurrell, Senior Investigating Officer at Essex Police, said: “Whatever Mr Reilly’s reason for visiting Moore that day, whatever happened between the two men, this was no excuse or justification for what happened next.
“No one deserves to die this way [Mr Reilly] “We did that, and it was right that we made sure Moore did not recover from his horrific actions that day.”
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