Teenage thugs who beat an angler, 48, to death with a plank of wood after he complained about them being noisy and then joked about being on the run for murder are facing prison

  • Scott Wilkinson battered to death by Lenny and Shane Crawt and their cousin
  • Mr Wilkinson, 48, had complained that the thugs were making noise and mess 
  • The brothers were both found guilty of murder at Guilford Crown Court today 
  • Meanwhile, their older cousin, Charlie Smith, was found guilty of manslaughter 

An angler was beaten to death with a plank of wood by two teenage brothers and their cousin during a summer fishing trip after he complained they were making too much noise and dropping litter near his campsite.

Scott Wilkinson was battered to death by Lenny and Shane Crawt, who were just 16 and 17 at the time, and their-then 21-year-old cousin Charlie Smith on a small island on the Thames, near Sunbury Lock, Surrey.

The teenage thugs bragged about their crime, telling a group of friends 'we just killed a man', a short time later. 

Mr Wilkinson, 48, had been enjoying a nighttime fishing expedition at his favourite spot on Donkey Island when he brutally attacked and killed in July 2016. 

Shane and Lenny Crawt, now 19 and 18, were both found guilty of murder while 24-year-old Smith was found guilty of manslaughter at Guildford Crown Court today.

Scott Wilkinson, 48, was battered to death by two teenage brothers and their cousin after he complained they were making noise and mess

Scott Wilkinson, 48, was battered to death by two teenage brothers and their cousin after he complained they were making noise and mess

Mr Wilkinson was regularly visited by his friends and family at the fishing spot, with one, David Price, seeing him shortly before he was attacked.

Prosecutor Paul Cavin QC said: 'David Price, a friend, went to see Scott Wilkinson on Wednesday July 27 about midday and came across three tents which had been set up in Scott's normal pitch.

'Mr Wilkinson was set up in a tent a little further on and was fishing happily, although he had complained that people from the other tents were making a mess, leaving litter around.'

The keen angler is believed to have spoken with the thugs, shortly before the attack. 

They were the only other people on the island and Mr Wilkinson was later reported missing by his girlfriend.  

He was attacked by the trio of young thugs and they punched, kicked and stabbed him before smashing his head in with a piece of wood, causing fatal injuries. 

Lenny Crawt was just 16 at the time of the shocking attack
Shane Crawt was 17 when he and his brother battered Mr Wilkinson

Lenny and Shane Crawt, who were just 16 and 17 at the time, were found guilty of murder at Guilford Crown Court today

After the savage beating, they fled to nearby Grovelands Park and met a gang of youths they knew.

According to Surrey Police, one of the three said 'I wouldn't say anything if I was you because we killed someone tonight.'

Smith also told an old school friend that he was on the run 'for murder'.

The following afternoon, Mr Wilkinson's body was found floating in the River Thames and covered in blood.

The Crawt brothers hid his body in shallow water and  the island was deserted when emergency workers went looking for the 48-year-old angler. 

However, they found an abandoned tent drenched in blood and his body was later recovered from the river.

A post mortem examination showed he had been killed by a blow to the head with a blunt object.

Charlie Smith, a cousin to the brothers, was found guilty of manslaughter

Charlie Smith, a cousin to the brothers, was found guilty of manslaughter

CCTV footage shown to the jury during the trial showed the Crawts and Smith leaving the island on the night of the murder.

The jury was told the men in the three tents had been seen burning clothes and were 'on the run'. 

Witnesses described hearing chaotic noises and commotion during the night. 

DNA evidence had established the three men had tried to return to their pitch and destroy evidence linking them to the crime. 

A device implanted in Mr Wilkinson which monitored his heart rate showed that at 11.18pm on the night of the murder, Mr Wilkinson's heart rate had been massively raised, which experts said would be consistent with an adrenaline rush he would have experienced during the attack. 

The jury heard he was alive but unconscious for hours after he was battered. 

Detective Inspector Paddy Mayers, who led the investigation said: 'This was a vicious and senseless attack on Scott Wilkinson who after the attack was left alone to die.

'His injuries were so serious that they were not survivable.

'Shane Crawt, Lenny Crawt and Charlie Smith thought they had got away with it and even boasted about what they had done.

'They then denied their involvement before blaming each other, putting Scott's family through a distressing trial where they had to listen in graphic detail to what Scott had gone through.

'Their actions that night were vicious, brutal and callous and they are finally now where they deserve to be.

DNA evidence has also established that the three men had tried to return to their pitch and destroy evidence linking them to the crime

DNA evidence has also established that the three men had tried to return to their pitch and destroy evidence linking them to the crime

'They have never shown any remorse for what they have done.'

After the verdict, his family put out a heart-wrenching tribute to Scott.

In a statement, they said: 'We have such fond memories of Scott which include him misbehaving with his brother Shaun when they were children much to the consternation of his mother Janet and humorous delight of his father David.

'Scott liked to tinker around doing up cars but this interest did not match his ability, often leaving the vehicle worse off.

'On one occasion attaching an ill-fitting sunroof which gathered water and suitably soaked unsuspecting passengers during sharp left turns.

'However Scott's passion, as anyone who knew him would tell you, was fishing.

Mr Wilkinson, 48, had been enjoying a nighttime fishing expedition at his favourite spot on Donkey Island when he brutally attacked

Mr Wilkinson, 48, had been enjoying a nighttime fishing expedition at his favourite spot on Donkey Island when he brutally attacked

'Fishing was a family hobby which brought us all together.

'It created shared experiences during long summer holidays, adventurous trips to Ireland with long drawn out tales of the one that got away.

'The energy and enthusiasm which Scott directed towards fishing was reflective of his character towards people.

'He offered friendship, kindness and closeness to those that wanted or needed it.

'He enriched the lives of the people who knew him.'

Shane, from Purley, Lenny, from West Molesey, and Smith, of no fixed abode, will be sentenced at the same court at a later date.

Mr Wilkinson was survived by a number of children from two previous marriages and he had been in a relationship with Lisa Lane for the four years leading up to 2016. 

He had worked driving HGVs but was on Government benefits having suffered an injury working for a removals company. 

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