A MAN has been convicted of murdering a “much-loved” dad by beating him to death and hiding his body under tarpaulin in a derelict building.
Daniel Watkis, 30, killed Junior Ryan Coleman, 43, on July 9 last year at the former Brockley Social Club in Lewisham, where both men had been sleeping rough.
Junior Ryan Coleman, 43, was fatally assaulted last July in a former social club Credit: Metropolitan Police
Daniel Watkis was found guilty of murdering Junior at Woolwich Crown Court Credit: Metropolitan Police
Watkis was found guilty of murder yesterday following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court.
Detective Chief Inspector Suzanne Soren, who led the investigation, told Woolwich Crown Court: “Junior Coleman was a much-loved son, brother, father and friend whose life mattered deeply to those who knew him.
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“Today my thoughts are firmly with everyone who knew and loved him.
“This was a complex investigation that relied on the determination and professionalism of detectives and forensic specialists who painstakingly pieced together hundreds of individual lines of enquiry over many months.
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“Today’s verdict means Daniel Watkis has been held accountable for taking Mr Coleman’s life.
“It also sends a clear message that those responsible for the most serious crimes cannot rely on time, concealment or deception to escape justice.”
CCTV footage from earlier in the day shows both men walking towards the social club.
Watkis is then seen returning to the venue just before 11pm where he fatally attacked Junior, who was inside the venue.
At around 11.40pm, Watkis is then spotted walking along Brockley Road, glancing back at the social club.
He stopped using his usual mobile phone number in the early hours of the morning and weeks later reported his bank card – discovered next to Junior’s body – as stolen.
Watkis also urged acquaintances not to report Junior as missing, despite his family’s escalating concerns.
Officers carried out a search of the former social club on September 19 and found Junior’s body buried beneath tarpaulin and other items in the rear bar area.
Watkis’ property, including a bank card, Freedom Pass and provisional driving licence, were discovered close to Junior’s body.
Post-mortem examinations revealed Junior had died from blunt force trauma to his head and face.
His injuries suggested he had been repeatedly struck with a blunt object.
Watkis was arrested on suspicion of murder on 24 September at his home in Hackney.
He largely responded “no comment” in police interviews, denying the murder of Junior and even denying knowing him, despite evidence to the contrary.
He will be sentenced at the Woolwich Crown Court on October 9.
