Two men jailed for life for Yeovil murder

Two men have received life sentences for the murder of a man at a block of flats in Yeovil last year.

Mark Sothcott and Martin Carty were convicted following a three-week trial in December of the murder of 68-year-old Franklin Ingram.

Mr Ingram was fatally wounded in a confrontation with his neighbour at Carty’s flat in Raglan Terrace shortly after 11pm on 22 June. Carty waited 18 hours before calling the emergency services, at which point he falsely claimed to have found Mr Ingram deceased on a sofa.

Paramedics informed police of the death due to the seriousness of the injuries Mr Ingram had sustained and Carty was arrested that same day.

Sothcott, of Stiby Road, was arrested on 24 June following information from members of the public about comments he had made after leaving Raglan Terrace the night Mr Ingram was killed.

Mr Ingram’s civil partner, Vania Leprieult, in a statement prepared ahead of sentencing, said his death had had a ‘massive effect on me and my family and friends’.

The pair spent a lot of their time together in France and she said they were ‘soulmates’ who had known each other since teenagers.

She described him as an artist who enjoyed photography and would do what he could to help people.

She said: “It wasn’t just me who loved Franklin; we have many friends together here in France.

“The people here say they have never seen two people love each other so much; we fit each other so well.

“We were like two kids, playing all the time. We shared a lot of humour together. That is all gone now.”

His Honour Judge Peter Blair described Mr Ingram’s death as an ‘utterly needless loss of life will have a lasting effect on those that love him’.

He stated Carty ‘mercilessly’ attacked Mr Ingram and inflicted the fatal blow, and that Sothcott encouraged it.

Carty, 56, received a life sentence today (Friday 14 February) at Bristol Crown Court. He will serve a minimum of 13 years.

A life sentence was handed to Sothcott at a separate hearing held on Friday 23 January, where the 56-year-old was told he would serve a minimum of eight years.

The judge acknowledged that Carty’s actions were not pre-meditated and that he is in poor health.

Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Mark Almond of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “We are grateful to everyone who came forward and provided information to assist our inquiries into Franklin’s death, because this has helped to put two dangerous men behind bars.

“The violence used on that night and the decision not to report what had happened for 18 hours is both awful and shocking.

“Our thoughts are with Vania and her family, who continue to endure unimaginable pain at losing someone who was so clearly loved. Specially-trained officers have been providing support to them over the past eight months and we are sorry for their loss.”