Teen killer fails in High Court bid to get sentence cut

A savage teen killer from Morecambe has failed to convince a top judge he deserves a sentence cut because of his “exceptional” behaviour behind bars.
General view of the High Court on the Strand, London.General view of the High Court on the Strand, London.
General view of the High Court on the Strand, London.

Arron Singh was just 16 when Coventry man, Rikki Judkins, 50, was punched, kicked and beaten to death whilst visiting Lancaster in June 2006.

Singh and Lancaster youth, Simon Unsworth, 20, were convicted of murder in February 2007 and put behind bars for life.

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The pair boasted about the killing afterwards and Singh was told he would serve at least 15 years for his crime. Unsworth got a minimum of 18 years.

Arron Singh.Arron Singh.
Arron Singh.

In 2011, Arron Singh used a mobile phone smuggled into prison to post boastful messages, bragging about having his sentence reduced in 2014.

He also uploaded pictures of himself flexing his muscle-bound torso and allegedly asked friends to get him girl contacts.

At London’s High Court, Singh’s lawyers pleaded for a cut in his ‘tariff’ so that he could have an early shot at parole.

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They pointed to his ‘exemplary work and discipline record’, his profound remorse and valuable help he had given other jailbirds in learning about the evils of drugs.

He had obtained a number of vocational qualifications, completed every behavioural course thrown at him and wanted to be a fitness trainer when released.

However, Mr Justice Singh, sitting at London’s High Court, today ruled he would have to serve the full 15 years.

The judge said he had read intelligence reports about Singh which cast doubt on his claim to be a changed person.

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The intelligence suggested he was involved in bullying and debt collection behind bars, the court heard.

Said to display an ‘arrogant attitude’, he was also alleged to be involved in distribution of forbidden substances to other inmates.

Believing himself above his peers, and even prison staff, he was said to have made large sums of money from tobacco trading.

The judge was prepared to accept that Singh had ‘made good progress’ since he was jailed - but not good enough to justify a cut in his tariff.

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He added: “In particular, on the basis of the (intelligence reports), there is reason to be concerned about his conduct in custody.

“It would not be right to reduce his tariff in the circumstances of this case”.

The judge described earlier how Mr Judkins was particularly vulnerable due to his mental health problems.

Mr Judkins, who was from Coventry, had taken a break in the Lancashire area before his murder.

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A mix-up over his bus ticket home, resulted in him ending up being stranded in Lancaster the night before he was to travel back.

His ticket was only valid at 10am the next day.

He ended up on his own, with nowhere to stay.

When speaking to his sister earlier that evening, she had advised him to make his way to the bus station, thinking he would be safer there and he had indicated he would go there.

Mr Judkins was punched, kicked and stamped upon.

One of them also dropped a large stone onto the side of his face, as he lay bleeding and helpless.

A passer-by who saw the victim lying in a tunnel, with large amounts of blood around him, thought he had been shot. Mr Judkins was very poorly’ before being taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

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A large blood covered stone, described as weighing eleven kilos, was recovered at the scene.

There were eighteen separate points of injury to the head and face.

Within a short time of the killing, both youths were bragging to friends about the killing.