Two career criminals have been sentenced to a combined 30 years behind bars for killing an 83-year-old grandfather during a botched watch robbery in Birmingham.
Tony Griffin, 54, and Wesley McDonnell, 46, both of College Road, Birmingham, were convicted of manslaughter at Warwick Crown Court in November following the death of Neil O’Donnell.
The pensioner died seven days after being attacked on May 14 last year as he was visiting his partner of 41 years, who suffers from dementia, at a rehabilitation centre in Hall Green.
Judge Kristina Montgomery KC told the court that Mr O’Donnell had been “active and independent” and that his attackers had caused his family “profound grief”.
The court heard that approximately half an hour before the assault, McDonnell had been captured on CCTV inside a Co-op store where he noticed Mr O’Donnell’s timepiece.
Judge Montgomery addressed McDonnell directly: “You clearly noticed his age, his physical appearance and the watch on his arm, which appeared to be a Rolex, and that it would be valuable and portable.”
She continued: “It was there and then you began to form the plan to rob Neil O’Donnell of his watch.”
After spotting his target, McDonnell collected Griffin and the pair trailed the elderly man’s vehicle to the care facility where his partner was receiving treatment.
Neil O’Donnell died seven days after being attacked on May 14 last year
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WEST MIDLANDS POLICE
Upon reaching the centre, Griffin approached Mr O’Donnell’s car armed with what the victim believed to be a screwdriver.
The elderly man fought back, shouting at Griffin to release him and throwing punches during the confrontation.
Judge Montgomery told Griffin: “In the course of your struggle with him, you grappled his right arm by a twisting motion which caused a significant loss of skin to his arm.”
This wound subsequently became infected, which directly led to Mr O’Donnell’s death one week later.
Tony Griffin (left) and Wesley McDonnell (right) were both sentenced to 15 years behind bars
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WEST MIDLANDS POLICE
The judge said both defendants played crucial roles, describing the case as “joint enterprise in the truest sense”.
Mr O’Donnell’s daughter provided a statement to the court describing the impact of her father’s death as “immeasurable”, adding that his widow’s dementia had “escalated through grief”.
Both Griffin and McDonnell had accumulated criminal records spanning decades, including convictions for burglary, robbery and weapons offences.
Whilst McDonnell expressed remorse to the victim’s family, the judge condemned Griffin for his complete lack of accountability.
Warwick Crown Court heard that Mr O’Donnell had been ‘active and independent’ prior to his death
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PA“You have lied and lied in the course of the investigatory stages of this case and in your evidence before the jury,” she told him.
Detective Inspector Nigel Box of West Midlands Police said: “This was a violent attack on an elderly man simply going about his day.
“We were able to show that the injury to Neil’s arm directly led to his death and the CCTV showed Griffin and McDonnell as the two men involved.
“They are both career criminals and wrongly assumed Neil would be an easy target.”