The trial has begun regarding a student who was beaten into a state of unconsciousness before being thrown off of a balcony after celebrating New Year in Brighton.
William ‘ Billy’ Henham was 24 at the time when his lifeless body was discovered within an unused hotel facility on January 2nd 2020.
Billy had previously been out in the city partying, dancing and singing as part of the nightlife before his night took a turn for the worst.
He is believed to have been bit by part of a stairwell, with injuries sustained being consistent with an assault that would have been both sustained over a period of time and significant in the damage caused
Following the attack, Billy is believed to have been thrown off of an 11 foot building by his attackers, with the possibility that even after all this trauma, he may still have been alive for up to an hour after he suffered the attack.
When discovered by the police, his body was stripped and left naked, with clear signs that bleach and disinfectant were used on his corpse as a way for those responsible to attempt to cover their tracks and destroy the evidence against them.
A student at Ravensbourne University, Billy had spent Christmas at home with his family before deciding to go back to the university for the new year in order to benefit from the louder and more enjoyable atmosphere desired by a student.
CCTV footage places Billy squatting outside an off licence at around 4:30 in New Year’s Day.
A witness to the incident described how he’d heard screams of pain but was sworn at and told to go away, before then seeing a suspect with bleach bottles and cloths whilst leaving the same room.
The group in question for the crime were apparently said to have been bragging about their crimes and had moved to a second squatting area the same day in an attempt to move on and avoid suspicion.
One of the suspects was discovered to have had one clothed and one naked picture of Billy’s body on his phone.
The defendants in the trial were said to obviously have some degree of forensic awareness and the evidence and blood had been diluted.
Photo Credit: Lacie Slezak
