Timothy Tinson has been handed a life sentence after the vicious attack in January
A brutal killer has been jailed for life – with a minimum of more than 17 years – after he viciously knocked a man to the ground and stamped on his head during a nasty attack outside a house in Beverley. Timothy Tinson later told police: “I meant to do it. I killed him. He’s dead. I’m a murderer.” He also said: “Yeah, I’m dangerous. I’m the most dangerous man alive, I guarantee it.”
He was originally due to face a trial accused of murdering 44-year-old Matthew Phillips. However, he changed his plea to guilty on the day that a jury was due to begin hearing the case.
Tinson, 43, of Lairgate, Beverley, entered a not guilty plea to the charge during a mention hearing at Hull Crown Court as recently as last week. He changed his plea following discussions with his defence team after details of the prosecution case were made available to him. The violent incident happened outside a house in Lairgate on Saturday, January 4.
Tinson, wearing a grey sweatshirt, will spend a minimum of 17 years and 155 days behind bars before he can be considered for release. Sam Green KC, prosecuting, said that Tinson and Mr Phillips were acquaintances and Tinson was a regular visitor to the home of a woman, who lived in Lairgate. He had been having a relationship with her. Mr Phillips had met her on two previous occasions.
On January 3, Mr Phillips and Tinson had been at her house. There was tension between the two men and the woman asked Tinson to leave.
“He did so, carrying a large rucksack, but started to bang on the outside of her front door, shouting through the letterbox that he would kill her and Matthew Phillips,” said Mr Green. A passer-by called the police, who attended and advised Tinson that he was not welcome at the address. In the early evening of January 3, the woman and Mr Phillips went to a local Heron shop to buy alcohol.
They passed Tinson in the Saturday Market area and there seemed to have been another falling out. Mr Phillips and the woman returned to her home.
Later that evening, another man arrived at the house and ended up falling out with Mr Phillips. The woman asked him and the other man to leave.
“Both these men left her house and saw Timothy Tinson in the nearby Saturday Market, where there appears to have been another falling out,” said Mr Green. Tinson ran to a nearby bar but was refused entry by a door supervisor.
Mr Phillips was seen on CCTV falling face first, trying to break his fall with his hands. The prosecution claimed that Tinson deliberately knocked him to the ground, although he was not seen doing so on CCTV pictures.
Tinson appeared and walked towards the head of the “drunken and defenceless” Mr Phillips and stamped on his head three times with his right foot. The woman heard thudding and went to the front door, where she saw Mr Phillips lying there, with Tinson standing there.
Tinson said: “F***ing hell. I’ve killed him. I’ve f***ing killed him. What am I going to do?” He claimed: “He started on me. It was in self-defence.” The woman summoned help from the nearby Shammy’s bar that Tinson had earlier tried to enter and got the help of a door supervisor, who came across to where she lived and did his best to tend Mr Phillips as he lay bleeding and dying.
“Paramedics and police officers attended but attempts at resuscitation were to no avail,” said Mr Green. “The defendant did not offer any assistance after he had meted out the violence that he did.
“Matthew Phillips was taken by ambulance to Hull Royal Infirmary where attempts at medical intervention were stopped at 1.47am. At 1.53am, he was declared dead.”
Tinson was arrested and he was taken into custody. When he was being booked in, he said: “Yeah, I’m dangerous. I’m the most dangerous man alive, I guarantee it. I’ve killed, then, yeah, have I? Have I killed him?”
At 2am, he said: “Woo! I’m a murderer, haha! Don’t feel bad about it. I did it on purpose, I told ya. You let me do it, hahaha, so whose fault is it? Please let me go. I’ll confess that I murdered him.”
As he was being taken to be interviewed, he said: “You’re wasting your time. I’ve told you I’ve done it. I’ve killed him.” Tinson made a series of admissions that he had murdered Mr Phillips.
He said: “I’ve just murdered someone on purpose. I’ll say it again, again and again. I meant to do it. I killed him. He’s dead. I’m a murderer. I’ve told you what I’ve told you and it’s true. I murdered him. He was right on the floor in front of me with blood coming out of his head. I murdered him. I killed him. I meant to. I admit it.”
During actual interview, however, he remained silent when questioned, including when asked about the comments that he had made before being interviewed. He sat down in the corner of the room, with his back towards officers. He lay down and put his feet against the wall as well as headbutting the wall.
Mr Phillips died as the result of blunt force blows to his head, causing bleeding in the brain, which led to cardiac arrest and then death.
Tinson had convictions for four previous offences involving weapons and for robbery, assault and assault causing actual bodily harm, the court heard. Peter Moulson KC, mitigating, said that Tinson pleaded guilty and his convictions were of some age. “There was little or very little planning, preparation or premeditation to this offence,” said Mr Moulson.
Tinson did not use any weapon apart from his feet. “He made confessions at the scene,” said Mr Moulson. Tinson had been in custody on remand for 210 days.
Judge John Thackray KC told Tinson that the punch to Mr Phillips was a “heavy blow” and the victim was not a threat to him, not least because he weighed less than half Tinson. If that were not “bad enough”, what followed was a “shocking and distressing” stamping attack on the head of Mr Phillips three times.
Mr Phillips was “motionless, helpless and defenceless” on the ground and he was therefore vulnerable during the “sustained” attack and “severe beating” of the victim. “There was a high risk of death and you were responsible for his death,” said Judge Thackray.
He added: “Matthew Phillips did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to die such a violent death. His loved ones, friends and family, will never recover from his loss. Matthew Phillips was much loved by many and his loss is immeasurable.”
Tinson showed no emotion as he was led out of the secure dock to be taken down to the cells.