A man has been jailed for 15 years for killing a frail pensioner in a "cruel, callous and calculated attack."
Wayne Milsom, who is 51, forced his way into the Keynsham home of 72-year-old Stephen Ridgeway in an attempt to find drugs.
Mr Ridgeway told police two men broke into his home on 3 November 2024, threatened him with a knife, hit him on the head with a hammer and kicked him while on the floor. He died a month later in hospital.
Following a re-trial in July 2026, a jury unanimously found Wayne Milsom, 51, from Keynsham, guilty of causing the death.
A sentencing hearing at Bristol Crown Court heard that Milsom subsequently expressed sorrow for Mr Ridgeway’s death and had engaged positively while on remand.
The court had been told Milsom was high on drugs and alcohol when he entered Mr Ridgeway’s home.
His Honour Judge Julian Lambert, at Bristol Crown Court, told Milsom: “You have an appalling record for violence. There was a clear link between Mr Ridgeway’s chest trauma, his swift respiratory deterioration and ultimately his death. You are responsible for that. He was frail and would never have been any sort of threat to you.
He said there was an element “close to torturing” Stephen in what was “a cruel, callous and calculated attack on a vulnerable elderly man in his own home”.
Judge Lambert told Milsom that medical conditions outlined his psychiatric report “do not substantially reduce your culpability”.
Handing down a sentence of 15 years in custody with an extended licence period of four years, HHJ Lambert said Milsom would serve a minimum of two thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
An impact statement was read to the court from Stephen’s brother, who is also in his seventies and was too unwell to attend court.
“This has been a long, drawn-out process and my own health has not been good over the last 21 months since the assault on Stephen … This last year has been one of the worst years of my life. The stress caused to me in losing Stephen in this way means I do not feel I have properly grieved for him. Stephen was my last living relative.
“The way in which Stephen died has caused me to feel very vulnerable and unsafe.”
Milsom admitted being at the house when Mr Ridgeway was injured, but denied manslaughter, claiming Mr Ridgeway instigated the physical altercation. The jury did not believe his account.
In a 2025 trial Milsom was acquitted of murder, but the jury failed to reach a verdict relating to manslaughter, leading to a re-trial this year.
Ryan Robbins, 35, of Keynsham, also stood trial in 2025 accused of offences relating to Ridgeway's death and was cleared on all counts.
Detective Chief Inspector James Wasiak, who led the investigation, said: “Stephen was well-known in the community and people who knew and liked him were horrified by what happened. He simply did not deserve to have his life end so tragically.”