Junior Coleman was found beaten to death in a former social club in Lewisham last year, having sustained repeated blows to his head and face
Daniel Watkis will be sentenced later this year after he was found guilty of murder(Image: My London / BPM Media)
A man who beat a ‘much-loved’ dad to death before dumping his body in a derelict building has been found guilty of murder.
Woolwich Crown Court heard how Daniel Watkis brutally attacked Junior Coleman, 43, on July 9 last year. Watkis launched his assault on the victim in one area of the Brockley Social Club in Lewisham, where both men were sleeping rough, before relocating his battered body.
A post-mortem revealed he had died from a blunt force trauma to his head and face with injuries consistent of repeated heavy blows with a blunt object.
CCTV later rumbled the 30-year-old killer, as both Watkis and Coleman were seen walking towards the social club earlier that day. The footage then showed Watkis returning to the building later on at around 11pm, after which point detectives determined Coleman was fatally wounded.
At around 11.40pm, the killer was spotted walking along Brockley Road where he made repeated glances back at the abandoned building. His suspicious behaviour mounted the next day, when he stopped using his usual number.
Weeks later, Watkis reported his bank card, which was later found next to Coleman’s body, as stolen.
The court heard he also discouraged others from reporting the victim as a missing person.
When officers searched the building, Coleman’s body was found concealed under a tarpaulin. They also discovered several of Watkis’s items, including his bank card and Freedom Pass, both of which were last used on July 9.
His provisional driving licence was also near the body while a water bottle also forensically linked Watkis.
He was attested on suspicion of murder on September 24 from his Hackney home. During interview, he mostly answered “no comment” but denied killing Coleman, reports My London.
Watkis even denied having known the victim, despite footage showing the pair had spent time together and had stayed at the former social club.
On Friday (July 10), Watkis was found guilty of murder. He will be sentenced on October 9.
Detective Chief Inspector Suzanne Soren, who led the investigation, said: “Junior Coleman was a much-loved son, brother, father and friend whose life mattered deeply to those who knew him. Today my thoughts are firmly with everyone who knew and loved him. Throughout this investigation, Mr Coleman’s family have shown remarkable dignity, patience and strength. Nothing can undo their loss, but I hope today’s verdict provides them with some measure of justice as they continue to grieve.
“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. They reviewed extensive CCTV, analysed digital and telecommunications evidence, traced Watkis’ movements, secured crucial forensic opportunities – building a case that ensured Mr Coleman’s family finally received the answers they deserved.
“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. No matter how complex an investigation may be, we will continue to pursue every available line of enquiry to ensure those responsible are brought before the courts.”
