Life for body-in-the-woods murderer

A MURDERER who smashed his victim over the head with a bottle and then dumped his body in woods has been jailed for at least 16 years.

Joseph Ramage, 39, hit 34-year-old Stewart Barrett so hard he fractured his skull, causing massive bleeding.

The attack took place in Ramage’s Kirkintilloch home in November last year.

Instead of getting help for the dying Mr Stewart, a father-of-three, Ramage bundled him up in a carpet and enlisted the help of his friend Paul McManus, 33, to dispose of the body.

The body was then dumped in woods near Carron Valley reservoir in Stirlingshire, where it was found by a dog walker.

Ramage and McManus then spent two days decorating the living room and hallway of the house.

When police arrived to speak to them, they were in the process of disposing of bloodstained carpeting.

After trial, Ramage was convicted of murdering Mr Barrett and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

McManus was cleared of murder but convicted of helping Ramage cover up the murder.

Temporary judge Sean Murphy QC imposed a life sentence on Ramage and ordered him to serve a minimum of 16 years before he could be considered for parole.

Judge Murphy told Ramage: “Mr Barrett died as the result of blunt force trauma to his head.

“You admitted striking him with a bottle. It must have been obvious he was seriously injured when he was ejected from the house.

“Death was inevitable with the fractures he suffered, but no attempt was made to seek medical attention for him. And you along with Mr McManus went to considerable lengths to conceal what you did.

“This was not planned and premeditated and at first he was a welcome guest in your home.”

Judge Murphy jailed McManus for five years and said that concealing the body in the wood was “cruel and callous” and added that it would have caused distress to Mr Barrett’s family and friends.

As Ramage was led away to begin his sentence, members of Mr Barrett’s family sitting in the public gallery shouted at him: “Hope you rot in hell.”

During the trial, the court heard from forensic experts who said that Ramage and McManus’s efforts to cover up the bloodstaining to the walls and floor were unsuccessful.