Murderers inflicted 35 horrific injuries on David Brickwood before Northampton pensioner bled to death, inquest hears

David Brickwood was murdered in his home on September 26, 2015.

Mr Brickwood was murdered in his home in Lindsay Avenue, Abington, in the morning of September 26, 2015. An unkmnown number of raiders had popped open a downstairs window before bursting into the pensioner's bedroom and delivering a brutal assault.

But to this day no one has ever been charged with killing.

At an inquest today Today deputy coroner for Northamptonshire Hassan Shah ruled that the father-of-three was "unlawfully killed" after hearing nine witnesses, including police that arrived on the scene the night he died, a forensic blood spatter expert and Professor Guy Rutty, the man who carried out the post-mortem on Mr Brickwood.

A witness appeal was a launched in September, 2015.

He died as a result of 35 individual injuries, the hearing at County Hall was told, that included stab wounds and blunt trauma.

Mr Brickwood also had an underlying coronary artery disease, the inquest heard, meaning the sheer loss of blood triggered inflicted by the savage beating caused the pensioner's heart to fail.

Delivering his conclusion this afternoon, Mr Shah at one point turned to speak directly to the press bench.

He said: "I say this in the hope it will be publicised.

A number of candlelit vigils have been held in honour of David Brickwood since his death.

"A 74-year-old grandfather that was asleep in his own bed became the victim of an aggravated attack in which he suffered 35 separate injuries."

Then turning to Mr Brickwood's family, he said: "I'm sorry i can't give you the answers that you nee and for that, I apologise.

"All I can do is go through the evidence as best as I can and try and piece it together."

But he added: "I am satisfied that whoever committed this attack intended to either kill or to cause serious bodily harm.

"I'm satisfied that there was adequate intention."

Mr Brickwood's son Nathan told the court via a statement, that he believed attackers targeted his father because he was a scrap merchant.

The pensioner was known to keep bundles of cash around the house by a select number of people and police officers entering the home on the morning of September 26 noted Mr Brickwood's blood-stained mattress had been lifted off the bed as part of the ransack.

Eldest son Dale Brickwood, told the hearing: "When this first happened police told me it must have been a burglary.

"But just inside the front window, there was a 50-inch TV.

"If it was a burglary they would have just taken the TV out of the window.

"What they have done is target him.

"I saw the mattrsss lying against his curtaine - peopel would think that anyone who was a scrap dealer would hid emoney under the mattress."

The inquest heard evidence from the first two offoicers n the scene on th morning of ..

Mr Brickwood, who had managed to remain concious after the assault, ha