Two jailed for life after 'vulnerable' man murdered in 'brutal and cowardly' Nelson attack

Two people have been given life sentences for murdering a man inside the home they shared in Nelson.

Following a three-week trial at Preston Crown Court, Laimonas Prascevicius and Rimantas Vystartas were today found guilty of murdering 53-year-old Andrej Minin.

Andrej was found dead at the bottom of the stairs of a property in Fir Street at around 5.20am on November 5.

A post-mortem examination found that Andrej died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

Enquiries revealed that Andrej had been severely beaten, kicked and stamped on.

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His body was then dragged to the bottom of the stairs in an attempt to cover up his murder.

The distribution of Andrej’s blood found on the trousers of Prascevicius and Vystartas showed that they were responsible for the fatal assault.

Prascevicius and Vystartas denied any responsibility or involvement in Andrej’s death.

Their denials were rejected by the jury.

Prascevicius, 54, of Ball Street, Nelson, and Vystartas, 54, of Rigby Street, Nelson, were both sentenced to life imprisonment.

The judge, Mr Justice Lavender, ordered both men to serve a minimum tariff of 19 years.

Det Chief Insp Tracey McMurdo, of Lancashire Police’s Force Major Investigation Team, said: “This was a brutal and cowardly attack committed against a vulnerable man in his own home.

“Rather than seek help for a man they once called a friend, Prascevicius and Vystartas instead sought to cover their tracks by moving his body.

“I want to thank the jury for their considered verdicts and hope these verdicts give Andrej’s loved ones some sense of closure.”