Two travellers jailed for life for murder of Dunstable man Adam Fanelli

TWO travellers who beat a scrap metal dealer to death were convicted of his murder today (Thursday) and both jailed for life.

Adam Fanelli, from Dunstable, died from a savage beating inflicted on him by the pair who had been on a cocaine and alcohol binge.

He was overpowered and held while being punched and kicked over his head and body.

Today at Luton Crown Court, Addy McAllister and Jemma Price were found guilty by a jury of murdering 31 year old Adam in the early hours of March 17 this year – St Patrick’s Day.

Both men, who between them have 10 children, had blamed the other for inflicting the injuries on Adam. Both said they had tried to stop the fight.

Passing sentence on the men Judge Michael Kay QC told them he was satisfied it was a “simmering dispute” between Mr Fanelli and Price which had led to him being severely beaten that night.

The judge said when the fight had begun between the two of them, McAllister had joined in and helped his friend Price and held Mr Fanelli as he was punched.

Adam’s nose was broken and his lips split, there was damage to a bone near his eye socket and his ribs had been fractured.

The judge said Adan had managed to stagger away into a field and he told the men “It must have been obvious to both of you he had suffered very serious injuries”

He said Adam was several miles from the nearest village and he went on “He was left by you to die when it was possible early medical assistance might have saved his life.”

The judges described the beating on Mr Fanelli as a joint attack that had been fuelled by drugs and alcohol.

He gave price a life sentence and told him the minimum term he must serve before he can be considered for parole is 17 years, less the 176 days he has already spent in custody awaiting trial.

McAllister was also given a life sentence and told he will have to serve a minimum term of 14 years, less the 183 days he has already spent in custody.

During the trial, the court was told that Adam had been a family man who, just a few weeks before his death, “went off the rails” and began taking drugs.

His wife was expecting their third child, but Adam briefly left home.

Just hours before he died, he told his family he was going on one last bender before returning home to his wife Jess, 28, and their children.

That night he took cocaine with father of five McAllister, 34 and Price, 30, who also has five children. In addition, all were drinking.

They ended up on the Nash Park Travellers site in Winslow Road in the village of Nash near Milton Keynes, where Price and McAllister lived at the time with their families.

There, in Adam’s van, a violent row broke out.

Outside, Adam was beaten to death by the pair.

His lifeless body was found in a field adjoining the site the next day.

A pathologist who examined his body found Adam had suffered head and facial injuries which caused his death.

But his body was covered in bruises and injuries, it was claimed.

In all, he had 159 separate injuries inflicted on him by McAllister and Price.

They included fingertip bruise marks to his arms, which suggested that at one point one of his attackers had held Adam while the other beat him.

McAllister, of Charlesworth Street, Bolsover in Derbyshire and Price, of Ridgeway, Kensworth, near Dunstable, were found guilty of the charge of murdering Adam.

Just two days before his death and after Adam had left home, the defendants turned up at his home in Dunstable looking for him.

They managed to speak to him on a mobile phone and his partner heard Price telling Adam they would burn his home down.

McAllister warned her not to say anything about their visit.

The following evening Mr Fanelli was with McAllister and Price, and arranged for all three of them to get some cocaine in Luton.

The following morning his body was discovered lying face down in a field beside the travellers site.

Both McAllister and Price blamed each other, telling the jury they had played no part in the violence that night and had tried to stop the fight.

Mrs Ann Evans, prosecuting, told the jury “At the very least one of these explanations is a lie and the crown invite you to conclude that as Adam Fanelli was a well built man who weighed just under 15 stone and was five foot ten tall, the fatal injuries he suffered were not as a result of a fight between two equals.”

She said when they were arrested, neither defendant had any significant injuries of any sort.

“You may think it is inconceivable that one man alone could have inflicted over 150 injuries on Mr Fanelli and remain unscathed. Without doubt it would have taken two men to inflict such damage on this well built man.”

Mr Fanelli’s partner Jess Slade, 28, told the jury how, a month after Adam’s death, she gave birth to their daughter.

A statement by AdamS partner was read in court today in which she said “Even now I still don’t understand the actions of those who have taken his life and why.

She said hervthree toung daughters had been left without a “daddy” and Adam would never see them grow up and one day get married and have children of their own.