‘Justice catches up’ with man who killed siblings in 1993

A CAREER criminal who killed an elderly brother and sister in a bungled burglary has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years.

Danville Neil, 65, “dodged justice for nearly 30 years” after attacking William Bryan, 71, a Second World War veteran, and widow Anne Castle, 74, during a break-in at their east London home in August 1993.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Neil was found guilty of Mr Bryan’s murder and of Mrs Castle’s manslaughter. Sentencing him yesterday, Mrs Justice Cheema-grubb said: “You dodged justice for nearly 30 years, now justice has caught up with you.”

She later said: “This was a notorious and universally appalling crime, both because of your history and the doubly fatal consequences of what you did.”

The pensioners were beaten and restrained as their flat was ransacked in the search for valuables.

The judge told Neil his actions were “unscrupulous” and “lacking in mercy”, and the siblings died “as a result of your greed”. She added: “You were a wellestablished and experienced career burglar by 1993.

“But you had it in you to offend in a way which was far more serious.”

Neil pulled two wedding rings and two diamond rings from Mrs Castle’s fingers, but failed to find some £4,000 in cash – some of which had been stashed in socks, the Old Bailey was told.

Mrs Castle suffered a heart attack and Mr Bryan went into cardiac arrest after being beaten and smothered during the night-time raid.

No one witnessed the attack, but screams were heard by neighbours, suggesting a “prolonged burglary and attack”, jurors heard.

The judge told the court: “The suffering of one of them was compounded by knowing that the other had died or was dying, that is inescapable.

“They were left virtually opposite each other, it is not difficult to imagine, though no one would want to, the anguish they must have endured at the suffering of the other.”

Cheers and applause were heard in the public gallery as the sentence was given.