THE events leading up to Shaun Rossington's death began to unfold when the group convicted of his murder began to believe they could get money from him.

On the night of June 2, the group were at Nicolas Shelbourne's flat in Laughton Way, Ermine, Lincoln.

It was there that they concocted their plan to meet 21-year-old Shaun.

They lured him to grassland off Searby Road following a series of text and Facebook messages involving promises of a sexual favour in exchange for £100.

Shaun would not have recognised most of the group who confronted him. He gave them cigarettes but told them he had no money.

Before he knew what was happening, the Asperger's syndrome sufferer was struck a blow on the head with a glass bottle, which brought him to the ground.

Daryll Jones, Mark Jackson, Nicolas Shelbourne and Jordan O'Rouke then set about beating him as he lay on the grass. He was eventually left with more than 41 separate injuries.

During the trial, Jones was described as having "danced" on Shaun's head.

And it was asserted that Jones had taken a knife to Shaun's back and, although it was recovered from the field, forensics experts could find no DNA on it.

After his initial beating, Shelbourne and Jackson picked Shaun up off the ground. He was begging them to stop hurting him and asked them to take him home.

But Shelbourne refused, saying that it would then be obvious that he had been attacked.

As they were holding him up, Jones is said to have knocked him to the ground again before continuing the attack. The group then walked away, leaving him for dead.

Later on, passer-by Leslie Sampher came across Shaun's prone body and shook him, asking if he was OK.

He noticed that Shaun was on the grassland without any shoes on and assumed he may have been drinking.

He went over and saw that Shaun's breathing was heavy.

He tried to rouse the 21-year-old a second time but could not.

Meanwhile, the group had returned to Shelbourne's flat, where Jones bleached his trainers and his bloodied clothes were bagged up and dumped.

They then conspired to cover up the attack.

O'Rouke, Jackson, the 17-year-old girl and a 14-year-old, who was 13 at the time, returned to the field at about 4am, where they found Shaun dead. The 17-year-old girl, who was yesterday convicted of manslaughter, called 999.

The four returned to the flat and the distressed 17-year-old told the rest of the group that Shaun was dead.

They told police they had found the body and were interviewed as witnesses.

After leaving the police station, Jones went into Lincoln and the City Square area, where he told friends what had happened.

Over the next 48 hours, he told several people he had been involved in killing someone and even sent a text message saying "I could be getting done for murder".

Meanwhile, after meeting the group and taking witness statements, police found that the 17-year-old girl's number was in Shaun's phone and put her at the scene – which led officers to the others.

And those who had been told about the attack by Jones came forward to give statements.

Seven people were arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, June 5, and taken to separate police stations to be interviewed.

Some lied about what had happened and at first they explained their presence at the Ermine shops, as seen on CCTV, as a trip to get cash for a pizza.

This was because they knew they would be on CCTV, as they knew the area well.

Forensic investigators then found that trainers seized from members of the group matched footprints that had caused marks on Shaun's forehead.

While on remand in a young offenders' centre, Jones told his mum in a phone call: "I'm going to plea bargain it to manslaughter and say I was drunk, we all ended up fighting, we all hit him."

It was later determined that Shaun had died from a lack of oxygen having been so badly beaten he was unable to raise his head up to breathe.

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