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Killers who stripped naked father-of-five and attacked him found guilty of brutal murder

Two men have been found guilty of the murder of Carl Woodall whose battered body was found at an industrial unit.

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Carl Woodall was left for dead with 141 injuries

Mr Woodall, 44, was stripped naked before being beaten up and left for dead with more than 141 injuries by his attackers at the Waterside Industrial Estate off Doulton Road, in Rowley Regis, on June 28 last year at about 1.15am.

The victim, known as 'Bert' a mechanic, lived and ran a workshop at the compound and was the victim of a joint-enterprise murder involving Mark Campbell and Simmion Goldbourne, who blamed each other for the brutal killing.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court this afternoon the jury founding the pair, both from Nottingham, guilty of murdering of the father-of-five in unanimous verdicts after deliberating for just three hours and 10 minutes.

A third defendant getaway driver James McGhee, also of Nottingham, was found not guilty of murder, but the jury unanimously found him guilty of Mr Woodall's manslaughter.

The trial heard the gang drove to the unit in the middle of the night to burgle the premises for money and drugs which Campbell, who had links with the victim's stepsons, believed was being hidden there. Campbell had been staying with the victim's stepson Cieran Evans just days before returning to the area to raid the unit.

James McGhee, Mark Campbell, Simmion Goldbourne

The prosecution's case was that Goldbourne, 28, and Campbell, 40, entered the victim's caravan, where he was initially assaulted before being taken to the unit and was again beaten then left for dead. Getaway driver McGhee, 28, remained at the car for two hours until the pair returned at about 4.13am.

After spending approximately two hours at estate it took them about 45 minutes to speed back to Nottingham with the loot which they claimed was cash totalling about £8,000 and tobacco. The jury heard Goldbourne got about £3,000; McGhee £2,400; and Campbell about £2,600.

Campbell, Goldbourne and McGhee, all of Nottingham denied murdering the father-of-five, but the jury did not believe Campbell and Goldbourne.

Speaking to the Express & Star after the verdicts two of Mr Woodall’s children Luke and Ryan said the family was relieved that the jury had returned guilty verdicts.

Luke Woodall, 25, of Netherton, said: “I’m still in a state of disbelief that we got the verdicts that we were hoping for. This means these people cannot harm any other humans the way the harmed our dad. What they did to him was indescribable.

“He was such as quiet man and for him to be treated that way was horrible.

“Whatever sentence they get is never going to bring him back and will be the best that we can hope for.”

While Ryan Woodall, 22, of Dudley, who discovered his father’s body added: “I will never be able to hold or see my dad again. I am feeling a whole range of emotions, anger, upset and frustration. I hope they will never get the sight of what they did out of their heads.”

Mr Justice Jacobs told the defendants: "I will sentence you on Friday."

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