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| Billy Mankelow murder: Leeds man jailed for life | Billy Mankelow murder: Leeds man jailed for life |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A man has been jailed for life for murdering a student near Leeds railway station. | A man has been jailed for life for murdering a student near Leeds railway station. |
| Richard Danter, 31, attacked 20-year Billy Mankelow on 25 April after they met at the city's Viaduct Club. | Richard Danter, 31, attacked 20-year Billy Mankelow on 25 April after they met at the city's Viaduct Club. |
| Mr Mankelow, from Tonbridge, Kent, was found with head injuries under a railway arch in Swinegate and died the following day in hospital. | Mr Mankelow, from Tonbridge, Kent, was found with head injuries under a railway arch in Swinegate and died the following day in hospital. |
| Danter, of Queen's Road in Leeds, was told he must serve a minimum of 15 years after pleading guilty to murder. | Danter, of Queen's Road in Leeds, was told he must serve a minimum of 15 years after pleading guilty to murder. |
| Mr Mankelow had gone to the club after finishing work and was seen dancing and socialising with Danter. | Mr Mankelow had gone to the club after finishing work and was seen dancing and socialising with Danter. |
| They left the club together at about 02:45 BST and headed towards the Dark Arches area of the city, where Danter attacked Mr Mankelow, kicking and stamping on his head more than 20 times. | |
| 'Savage and brutal' | |
| The court heard Danter went back into the club and told staff members he had just killed someone. He then attempted to hide Mr Mankelow's body by dragging him further into the arches. | |
| Mr Mankelow was found unconscious by a member of the public. He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he later died. | Mr Mankelow was found unconscious by a member of the public. He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he later died. |
| Jailing Danter the judge, Peter Collier QC the Recorder of Leeds, said: "You subjected your victim to an unspeakable degree of violence. The surgeon who dealt with him said that he had never seen so much trauma completely focused on the head and facial area. | |
| "Such was the savageness and brutality of your focused attack on his head, I am driven to conclude that at that moment your intention was to kill him | |
| "You left him where you had assaulted him, helpless and dying, and went back to the nightclub. | |
| "Later you went back and moved his body further into the arches, no doubt intending to make it more unlikely that he would be discovered. | |
| "You also removed and disposed of his mobile phone, whether or not he would have been capable of calling for help himself I can never know." | |
| 'Tragic loss' | |
| Mr Mankelow's family said: "Billy's family and friends are all distraught at the way Billy died; which was so senseless and unnecessary. Billy was simply out with friends having a good time with his life ahead of him. | |
| "We as a family will never get over the way he died, we have lost a person of exceptional kindness and good nature. | |
| "Billy's tragic loss will be felt by everyone who knew him for a long time." | |
| Det Ch Insp Dvid Shipperlee, of British Transport Police, said he believed Mr Mankelow was the victim of a "totally unprovoked attack". | |
| He said: "His death is such a tragic waste of a young life, a life taken by a violent, evil and dangerous man, who has a history of previous convictions for violence and sexual offences, who is now where he belongs, behind bars." |