Two men jailed for stamping man to death in own home in 'brutal and savage' murder

Two men have been jailed for life for murdering a 48-year-old father-of-one in an unprovoked attack after ambushing him at his Paisley flat.

Stephen O’Donnell, 30, and Robert Muir, 30, killed George Calvert by punching and kicking him and stamping on his head at Glen Street in the Renfrewshire town on 19 March last year.

Mr Calvert died from a massive brain injury hours after the brutal attack. He had 63 injuries – 26 of them to his head and neck.

Stephen O'Donnell and Robert Muir

Yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow judge Lady Rae ordered each man to serve 20 years in prison before being eligible to apply for parole.

Lady Rae told the pair: “You were both found guilty by a jury of what can only be described as a brutal and savage attack on a man in his own home.

“He suffered multiple injuries to his head and body caused by you two kicking, punching and stamping on him.

“I detect little or no remorse. You O’Donnell tried to minimise your involvement and Muir, you said you have no memory of events.”

Sounds of the murder

At the time of the murder both men were on community payback orders – O’Donnell for drink driving and driving while disqualified and Muir for an assault with a bottle.

Prosecutor Graeme Jessop said: “They both had appointments for the community payback orders that morning, but were sent away.”

The court heard both men then headed to O’Donnell’s flat where they sat drinking and in the afternoon murdered Mr Calvert.

O’Donnell , who was in a relationship with 19-year-old Kisteen Templeton, feared Mr Calvert would tell her jealous ex-boyfriend Robert Cowan about them.

Before heading to Mr Calvert’s flat, O’Donnell told his friend Muir “‘George saw me and her walking about and I wouldn’t be surprised if he tells Robert Cowan’.”

And Muir replied: “‘He’ll no be saying f*** all’.” He added: “Don’t worry. I’ll back you 110 per cent.”

The sound of the beating and Mr Calvert whimpering was heard by people in neighbouring flats.

The pair left Mr Calvert dying.

'Like a CSI parking lot'

Minutes afterwards O’Donnell told Ms Templeton: “We’ve just done George in.”

O’Donnell , who lived in the same block of flats, tried to fool police by telling them he just had arrived home and found the street “like a CSI parking lot”.

His accomplice Muir asked Ms Templeton to lie for them and say they were in O’Donnell’s flat all day.

They were brought to justice because their clothes and shoes were covered in droplets of Mr Calvert’s blood. Muir’s handprint in Mr Calvert’s blood was found on a wall close to where Mr Calvert lay.

Prosecutor Graeme Jessop said: “This was a concerted attack, a vicious attack and a sustained attack on a man who was ambushed at his front door as he came back home. It was unprovoked.”

They had both earlier offered pleas of guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide, but these were rejected.

Tony Graham QC, representing O’Donnell said: “It was never the intention to do more than an assault or a breach of the peace, but it escalated.”