Dad and son jailed for murdering estranged wife’s boyfriend who hid in wardrobe
Wayne, 49, and Riley Peckham, 23, hunted down and killed Matthew Rodwell 'like a pack of animals'.
A father and son who killed a man ‘like a pack of animals’ have been jailed for murder.
Wayne Peckham, 49, and Riley Peckham, 23, hunted down and killed Matthew Rodwell, 39, in Downham Market, Norfolk, on January 23, 2022.
Mr Rodwell was in a relationship with Wayne’s estranged wife, Kerry Peckham, and placed a frantic 999 call from a wardrobe when they forced their way into her home.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said Mr Rodwell was ‘terrified about being found’ and expressed ‘genuine fear’ on the phone.
A recording heard him say ‘sorry’ but it proved to be his last word, and a ‘guttural sound’ followed a minute later.
Mr Rodwell had 40 ‘significant’ injuries from being strangled, kicked, stamped and punched.
Mrs Peckham said they ‘thumped and beat the life out of him’ and she was also injured as a result.
Police arrived at 8.05pm and could hear ‘screaming’ inside the house.
Mr Rodwell’s body was found in the hall and Wayne was detained at the scene after initially trying to hide behind a curtain.
Riley escaped in handcuffs but was caught a couple of hours later at a relative’s home.
Mr Rodwell’s blood was found on the pair’s clothing and his DNA was under their fingernails.
The court heard Mr Rodwell moved in with Mrs Peckham after she ended her ‘turbulent’ relationship with Wayne – the dad of her three children – who was described as ‘rough, volatile and controlling’ towards her.
The jury took 10 hours to deliberate before finding the pair unanimously guilty after a six-week trial. The pair had always denied murder.
Judge Anthony Bate said: ‘Wayne had committed targeted vandalism to Mr Rodwell’s car, stalked him on previous occasions and set fire to a coat Mr Rodwell bought for Wayne’s youngest son Harvey and posted the video on Facebook.
‘Riley took his dad’s side against Mr Rodwell.
‘Their visit [to Mr Rodwell’s house] was no speculative social call. They suspected Mr Rodwell was there with Kerry and decided to do him serious harm.
‘This was a brutal and sustained assault on a man in his home and in front of her partner who was herself injured.
‘The attack wasn’t spontaneous. The premeditation by Wayne Peckham is significant.’
Wayne was jailed for 24 years and Riley was jailed for 18 years.
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