Pair jailed for murdering man in row over phone charger
Two men have been jailed for life for the murder of a man after an argument over a bottle of wine and a phone charger.
Victor McDermott, 44, was dragged down the stairs of a block of flats in Gloucester before being murdered by Simon Boswell and Andrew Harling.
The pair then dumped Mr McDermott's body next to bins in a car park.
Boswell, 49, and Harling, 45, both of no fixed address, will serve minimum terms of 18 years.
Both were found guilty at Bristol Crown Court.
Mr McDermott, who was originally from Bolton but had recently moved to Gloucester, had met up with Boswell and Harling at a flat in Roman Quay House in Gloucester in November.
But they set on Mr McDermott who they believed had stolen the charger, wine and a towel from them.
He suffered head, rib and torso injuries in the attack and was discovered by a member of the public the next day unclothed and only covered by a sleeping bag.
Det Ch Insp Steve Porter said the attack was "horrific" and "violent" and the trigger to the attack over the charger and wine was "minor".
"Even when Victor McDermott was unconscious and defenceless, he was dragged, kicked and beaten before being dumped unclothed next to some bins like a piece of rubbish on a cold winter's night," he added.