Four men arrested in murder case as Tile Hill man dies

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Four men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of a man found with head injuries in the back garden of a house in Coventry.

Police were called to the property on Jardine Crescent, Tile Hill, at around 14.30 GMT on Saturday.

The 43-year-old man, who has not been named, died in hospital in the early hours of Monday.

Three men, two aged 45 and another aged 47, were arrested at the time on suspicion of wounding and assault.

A fourth man, aged 40, was arrested on suspicion of assault on Sunday.

As a result of the man's death, all four have been re-arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody.

Det Insp Ben West said: "Our investigation is ongoing and we continue to seek answers as to how this man came by his injuries.

"That is why we need anyone with information which may help us understand what has happened to get in touch."

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Tile Hill death: Three charged with murder

Three men have been charged with murder after an attack on a man in Coventry over the weekend.

The victim, 43, who has not been named, was found with serious head injuries at a house on Jardine Crescent, Tile Hill, at about 14:30 GMT on Saturday.

He died in hospital in the early hours of Monday.

A 47-year-old man and two men aged 45 have been charged with murder and are due to appear at Coventry Magistrates Court later.

A fourth man, aged 40, has been released without charge.

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Tile Hill murder victim named



Marc Nown, 43, was found with serious head injuries in the back garden of a house in Jardine Crescent at around 2.30pm on Saturday.

He was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died in the early hours of Monday.

Three men have been charged with Mr Nown's murder.

Two aged 45 and another aged 47 appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

A fourth man was arrested in connection with the death was released without charge, West Midlands Police.

Mr Nown's family described him as a 'kind and loving family man'.

"We all share fond memories of the life we shared with him. It is our wishes at this sad and difficult time that we are left alone to grieve and come to terms with our tragic loss."

Police were back at the house on Jardine Crescent in Tile Hill on Monday:


Forensic investigations took place on Monday after the injured man died in hospital:

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Two men who murdered a man in a row over "drinking money" have been jailed for life.



Marc Nown, 43, was found in the garden of a house at Jardine Crescent, Tile Hill, Coventry in February. He died two days later.

Birmingham Crown Court heard his skull was fractured and he had a brain bleed.

Christopher Wright, 46, of Telfer Road, was given a minimum term of 20 years, while Mark Avery, 48, of Jardine Crescent, must serve 16 years.

West Midlands Police's Det Sgt Rani Sangha said Mr Nown's death was "a tragic, needless loss of life - all over a few pounds that ultimately amounted to drinking money".

A police spokesman said Mr Nown, a father of one, had become friends with the two men, but had died in a dispute over £30.

"The court heard Wright being described as a bully, which is a fair assessment given the nature of his behaviour against Marc," Sgt Sangha said.

"He even tried to get Marc to sell his wedding ring to pay the debt."

In a statement, Mr Nown's relatives said the sentence "will never bring Marc back, but at least now our family can have some closure on this devastation".

"Marc will remain in our hearts forever and now he can truly have some peace."

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Thug who killed Coventry dad in row over £30 tries to get his 20-year sentence cut



A Coventry thug who battered to death a “hopelessly vulnerable” man in a row over £30 can have no complaint about his tough jail term, top judges have ruled.

Christopher Wright, 46, took the lead as he and another attacker repeatedly kicked and punched 43-year-old Marc Nown in the brutal and fatal attack.

Wright, of Telfer Road, Radford, was handed a life sentence - with a minimum term of 20 years to serve - at Birmingham Crown Court in December, last year, after he was convicted of murder.

On Tuesday, three senior judges at London’s Appeal Court rejected a challenge by Wright against that minimum term - saying it was a “severe” but not excessive.

Lord Justice Davis said Mr Nown was subjected to “sustained violence” by a group of men which had been “orchestrated” by Wright in the days prior to the killing.

He was kicked, punched and stamped on in the days leading up to February 6, 2013, in a seething row over just £30.

Wright and Mark Avery, 48, of Tile Hill, Coventry launched a “vicious” attack on Mr Nown - described by Lord Justice Davis as a “hopelessly vulnerable man” who was “not in a position to defend himself at all”.

The victim was found in a garden in Jardine Crescent, Tile Hill. He died two days later, with a post mortem examination revealing that he had suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.

Wright and Avery were found guilty of Mr Nown’s murder, with both handed a life sentence. Wright, who was attributed the “leading role” in the killing, was slapped with a minimum jail term of 20 years and Avery one of 16 years.

On appeal, Timothy Raggatt QC, for Wright, argued that the judge handed him a “manifestly excessive” punishment.

But Lord Justice Davis, sitting with Mr Justice Hamblen and Judge Martyn Zeidman QC, said: “Overall, having considered the position, we are prepared to accept that the specified minimum term of 20 years’ imprisonment was severe.

“But the sentencing judge was well-placed to assess the gravity of the offending here and we think it cannot be said that the sentence imposed was arguably manifestly excessive.

“In the event, we refuse this renewed application.”

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Man who murdered Coventry dad over £30 debt found dead in cell after prison officer 'hit with wall of fumes'



A murderer was found dead in his prison cell after smoking 'legal highs'. Mark Avery had been jailed for 16 years in December 2013 after being found guilty, alongside co-defendant Christopher Wright, of murdering Coventry dad Marc Nown, 43, over a £30 debt.

Mr Nown considered Avery and Wright his friends but after he took £30 from a bank account without permission the pair started a campaign of violence against him. He was brutally attacked in the back garden of a home in Tile Hill.

Avery and Wright 'kicked and stamped' on the defenceless dad while screaming abuse at him. Five months after he was convicted of murder Avery, then 48, was transferred to HMP Garth, reports LancsLive.

In July 2020 Avery, who had a history of using psychoactive substances, was placed on suicide watch after he told prison staff that he “did not see any point in being alive and that he had attempted to use PS to kill himself in the past”. At 5.39pm on August 11, 2020, an officer unlocked his cell and said he was 'hit with a wall of fumes' that made him feel unsteady.

Avery was unconscious and nurses who were called to his cell noted there was 'blood and fluid pooling on his stomach and chest'. He was pronounced dead at 6.12pm.

A report published by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman in July revealed that there had been three missed opportunities to discuss the negative impact that his physical health was having on his mental health and his use of psychoactive substances. After being suspected of being under the influence of legal highs Avery had refused mandatory drug testing and had declined to work with the substance misuse team.

Author of the report Sue McAllister said: “We are concerned that Mr Avery was able to obtain psychoactive substances at Garth in the months before his death, despite various methods that the prison used to disrupt supply. The prison needs to review its drugs strategy. We are also concerned that staff failed to submit intelligence reports about Mr Avery’s substance misuse”.

Avery, who was 54 at the time of his death, had refused to tackle his misuse of legal highs and told prison staff he did not care as he was 'dying anyway'. He also had a number of long-term health conditions including asthma, epilepsy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was using a wheelchair, the report said.

A series of recommendations have been made in an attempt to review the supply of drugs at HMP Garth. Figures, from January 2019, found that 60 per cent of prisoners said it was 'easy' to obtain drugs in the prison and 25 per cent of inmates had developed a drug problem whilst in jail.

Ms McAllister said: “We have previously made recommendations about reducing the supply of drugs, the need to submit intelligence reports about substance misuse, the need to call ambulances promptly during emergencies and the management of prisoners at risk of suicide or self-harm”.

Avery was the eleventh prisoner to die at Garth since August 2018. Three of the previous deaths were self-inflicted, four were drug-related and three were from natural causes.