Screams of 'yes' and cheers in court as thugs who killed beloved man learn their fate
Daniel Vasey and Jason Trueman were ‘fuelled by alcohol and a sense of grievance', a judge concluded
The family of a man who died after a brutal attack by two bullying thugs cheered and clapped as they were handed hefty jail terms.
Daniel Vesey and Jason Trueman wreaked a years-long campaign of violent terror on 52-year-old James Thorne before kicking him to death in his own home.
The two thugs made regular visits to Mr Thorne’s home in Wythenshawe over the course of ‘three or four years’, ‘terrorising’ him and his housemate into giving them money after they memorised when he received his benefits payments. Mr Thorne and his housemate, Graham Miller, were too intimidated to report the violence to the police.
On June 14 last year, the violence escalated when Mr Thorne refused to open the locked door for Vesey and Trueman, shouting through the letterbox at them to ‘f**k off’.
They returned a few hours later, using Mr Miller’s brother to ‘trick’ him into opening the door before entering the house and brutally attacking both men. Later that day, Mr Thorne collapsed in Tesco and tragically never regained consciousness.
Vesey and Trueman both pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and following a sentencing hearing on Monday, April 14, both men were jailed. Family and friends of Mr Thorne cheered ‘yes’ and clapped as they were taken to the cells.
Judge Suzanne Goddard KC said that despite Mr Thorne's vulnerabilities he ‘enriched the lives of many others’.
She said both defendants were ‘intimidating’ and ‘bullied people’ to dissuade them from reporting to the police, adding they were ‘fuelled by alcohol and a sense of grievance'.
She added: “This was a sustained attack. You both have equal responsibility for what happened and the consequences."
'They were terrorising people'
On Thursday last week, prosecutors described how ‘for about three or four years’ Vesey and Trueman had gone to Mr Thorne’s home on Crowhurst Walk on the date of receipt of his benefits and ‘intimidated’ him into giving them money.
“They were terrorising residents in the area,” Mr Bill Baker KC, prosecuting, said. “There was a culture of intimidating people who gave information to the authorities so they didn’t do so.”
He added that on one occasion in 2023, Mr Thorne had attempted to stand up to the thugs but ended up being taken to hospital after being subject to a horrific attack.
Mr Baker said that in 2024, Vesey and Trueman often entered Mr Thorne and Mr Miller’s house ‘uninvited’ and drank their beer, as well as sometimes demanding money for ‘sniff’.
On the day of Mr Thorne’s death, CCTV captured the pair walking down Crowhurst Walk on their way to Tesco to buy alcohol at around 6:30am. In Tesco, Vesey purchased a bottle of rum while Trueman attempted to steal a case of beer, but was caught and escorted out.
On their way back down Crowhurst Walk, Trueman tried to open the door of Mr Thorne’s home, but was unable to because it was locked. Mr Thorne then shouted through the letterbox at the pair to ‘f*** off’ before Trueman retaliated, yelling ‘how about you f*** off, Thorney f***ing hell mate what’s your problem’.
Trueman then threatened to return later, shouting: ‘I’ll walk past later on’. Later, at around 10:39am, the pair returned to Crowhurst Walk ‘intent on assaulting’ Mr Thorne.
“By chance Graham Miller’s brother arrived just after them,” Mr Baker continued. “Jason Trueman used this to his advantage to trick him into letting them in.”
“Seeing only his brother, Graham Miller opened the door,” Mr Baker said. “Daniel Vesey and Jason Trueman then rushed in. As they did, one of them hit Graham Miller in the face causing his nose to bleed and he fell to the stairs.”
The pair then ran into the living room where they inflicted a ‘sustained, persistent, and extensive’ assault on Mr Thorne, lasting around seven minutes in total. During the assault, Trueman followed Mr Miller upstairs before returning downstairs and ‘helping himself’ to beer in the fridge. The pair then left the house, with Vesey emerging shirtless.
Mr Thorne sustained injuries ‘all over his arms, legs, and body’ - including blows to his head. He collapsed later that day while shopping in Tesco, and never regained consciousness. He sadly died on July 1 in hospital following a large bleed on the brain.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Thorne’s sister Julie Burns described him as a ‘loving person’ whose death ‘seems so senseless’.
'Their actions have left family and friends devastated'
Vesey, of Farncombe Close, was jailed for 19 years and six months made up of 15 years and six months in prison with an extended licence of four years; and Trueman, of Maybury Street, was jailed for 18 years and 10 months made up of 15 years and 10 months with an extended licence of three years. Both will serve two thirds of the jail term before the Parole Board will deem them safe to be released.
Following his death, a spokesperson for Mr Thorne’s family said: "James was a loving son, father, grandfather, brother & uncle. He was also a very good friend to a lot of people, we are all devastated by his loss, he will be sadly missed by many.
"James's family would like to thank everyone for their compassion, kind words and their huge amount of support through this extremely difficult time, it has helped us more than you can imagine.
"James will always have a special place in all our hearts."
Senior investigating officer Duncan Thorpe said: “Firstly, I want to say that our thoughts remain with the family of James. We know that the last few months have been incredibly difficult for them and I hope that today’s sentencing provides them with some form of closure.
“Vesey and Trueman’s are dangerous individuals who have threatened and bullied vulnerable people in the Wythenshawe area for some time. Their violent actions have resulted in James' death. Regardless of intent, their actions have left family and friends devastated. ”