A MAN from Burnley has today been found guilty of murdering a man in a violent frenzied attack last year.

Kenneth Howson, 26, of Williams Road in Burnley, was found guilty of killing James Atkinson in October 2010.

A crown court trial in March found Howson guilty of murdering Neil Gilmour in the same incident but the jury could not reach a verdict on whether he killed Mr Atkinson.

The judge ordered a retrial for this offence and the jury concluded that Howson did in fact kill him.

At the first trial, another man, Daniel Waddington, 23, of Pine Street, was convicted of murdering both James Atkinson and Neil Gilmour.

Both men will be sentenced tomorrow.

Detective Superintendent Neil Hunter said, “Naturally I am pleased with the decision of the jury to find Howson guilty of murdering Mr Atkinson.

“This was a particularly gratuitous attack where each victim was assaulted numerous times with more than one weapon.

"When we attended the scene of what was described as a suspicious death little did we expect to find another body in the bedroom therefore the examination at the scene was extremely challenging.

“We were aware that there was a history between Howson and James Atkinson who was the partner of his mother.

"It was clear from an early stage that Howson held James responsible for the death of his mother in September 2010 and was waiting for an opportune moment to seek some revenge little did anyone know it would manifest itself in such a wicked and violent act.

“The motive for the attack on Neil Gilmore is more difficult to explain.

"His only weakness was to provide a friend, James Atkinson, with some warmth and shelter in his own home.

"Sadly, Howson became aware of this and having killed James in his flat neither Howson nor Waddington wanted a live witness to provide information to the police and therefore they killed him.

"We have to be absolutely clear about how vulnerable Neil Gilmore was; his overall health was extremely poor and he had a carer who provided him with support.

"He was unable to offer any resistance or defend himself which makes this attack even more cowardly.

"There were numerous attack sites in the lounge which further demonstrates that this was a prolonged and sustained attack.

“Not satisfied with inflicting appalling injuries on the two victims they then defiled their dignity after death by taking pictures of their dead bodies on a mobile phone by way of a trophy.

“Howson and Waddington have continually lied throughout the trial process in an effort to avoid being convicted of these heinous offences but fortunately the jury failed to be hoodwinked by their feeble attempts to escape justice.

“These were two distressing murders yet throughout the trial a number of witnesses failed in their civic duty to provide key and significant evidence which is a sad indictment and they should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.”

James and Neil’s family gave a joint statement which read: “We would like to thank all at Lancashire Constabulary who dedicated so much of their time investigating the murders of James and Neil.

"In particular we would like to thank our family liaison officers Lisa Moore and Neil Morris, the CPS and the Prosecution Counsellor Tony Cross for their support and professionalism in brining Howson and Waddington to justice.

“Although we didn’t have to sit through the trial, we felt we needed to hear the evidence first hand.

"This wasn’t pleasant and was highly emotional for both families.

"But not owning up to what they did that night has caused our families to relive in detail what happened to James and Neil and how they met their death in what was a cold blooded double murder.”

James Atkinson’s family said of James, “James was a loving brother who will be sadly missed.

"Whatever sentence the judge imposes won’t bring him back.

"The memory of his brutal murder will stay with us forever.

Neil Gilmore’s family said of him, “Neil was a kind and caring person who didn’t have a bad bone in his body.

"He was liked by everybody. The last six months have been extremely difficult for our family who still cannot understand why Neil met his death in such a horrific way.”