Man jailed for 'cruel' attack that killed pensioner

A man has been jailed for 15 years for killing a pensioner in a "cruel, callous and calculated attack" after forcing his way into the his home to demand drugs.

Wayne Milsom, 51, of Keynsham, Somerset, was cleared of Stephen Ridgeway's murder last summer but was retried for manslaughter and found guilty at Bristol Crown Court in July.

Ridgeway, 72, 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.

During sentencing earlier at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Lambert said Milsom had an "appalling record for violence" and posed a future risk to the public.

Ridgeway told police he had broken his back the previous year and was in significant pain.

In hospital, he was found to have five fractured ribs and the chest trauma from the attack ultimately led to his death on 7 December 2024.

During the trial, the jury heard that Milsom was high at the time of the attack, having consumed crack cocaine and alcohol that day.

Ryan Robbins, 35, of Keynsham, also stood trial in 2025 accused of offences relating to Ridgeway's death and was cleared on all counts.

In a statement read out in court, Ridgeway's brother Martin said the year of the killing had been "the worst of his life".

"He was my last living relative and I have no friends nearby," his statement said.

"Stephen struggled a lot through his life with drugs and alcohol but he came through this and had been doing well in his later years," he said.

"The way in which Stephen died has caused me to feel very vulnerable and unsafe."

Prosecution barrister Jenny Tallingtire argued for a longer sentence due to Milsom's "long history of violent offending" and the "significant physical suffering" he had caused as Ridgeway spent most of his final month in intensive care.

Francis FitzGibbon argued for the defence that Milsom did not intend to seriously harm Ridgeway because "it wasn't obvious just how weak and vulnerable he was".

"In the right circumstances and with the right help, he is capable of overcoming the demons that have beset him in his life," he said.

"He has realised he has reached rock bottom and wants to start again and take active steps to rehabilitate himself.

"He expresses genuine feelings of remorse from a perspective of sobriety."

Judge Lambert handed down a custodial sentence of 15 years and a further four years during which Milsom would be on licence.

"You have an appalling record for violence with 21 offences against the person recorded, an offence of rape and frequent disorder and weapons offences," they told the court.

"Given your record, it is now entirely predictable you will be violent whenever you are desperate for a drink or drugs."

Judge Lambert also said there had been an "element of cuckooing" as Ridgeway's lodger was dealing drugs out of his home.

He described the incident as a "cruel, callous and calculated attack on a vulnerable elderly man in his own home".

"All the evidence points strongly towards a continuing risk of violent offending," he said.

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