Kyle Morley beat his friend David Bettison to death after catching him with an ex-partner (Picture: BPM Media)

A man who attacked a couple having a sexual encounter in a children’s playground, killing the man, has been found guilty of murder. 

Kyle Morley had been out drinking with his friend David Bettison and two other men in the pubs around Hugglescote.

At about midnight, Morley’s ex-girlfriend, Katie Lamb, arrived in the village. Two hours later, Morley, 29, of St Bernards Road, Whitwick, near Coalville, came across Mr Bettison and Miss Lamb together in a children’s play area on Ashburton Road.

Morley charged at them and punched 23-year-old Miss Lamb hard in the face, knocking her out, for which he would later plead guilty to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Mr Morley told police he was heavily intoxicated and on Class-A drugs at the time (Picture: BPM Media)

He then attacked his 43-year-old friend, who made no attempts to fight back at the time. Morley repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on Mr Bettison, causing facial injuries so severe the police who later arrived were unable to even try to save his life with normal treatment. 

Mr Bettison was unable to breathe due to the injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. After he was arrested, Morley gave Leicestershire Police a prepared statement in which he said he accepted assaulting Mr Bettison but denied intending to cause him serious injury.

He added in his statement that he was ‘heavily intoxicated’ and had been taking class A drugs.

The jury in the case had been sent out to begin deliberating on Friday and returned their unanimous guilty verdict this morning, finding Morley guilty of murdering Mr Bettison in the early hours of Friday, February 24. 

After the jury foreman announced the guilty verdict, Morley sat with his head in his hands, sobbing loudly. 

Judge Timothy Spencer KC told Morley he would sentence him this afternoon. Murder leads to a life sentence but Judge Spencer will have to decide how long Morley spends behind bars before he gets his first chance to apply to the Parole Board for release.

Kyle Morley told officers he was heavily intoxicated and ‘on Class-A drugs’ when the incident occurred. 

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