Murder charge after body of 49-year-old found in Spon End

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A 39-year-old man has been charged with murder after paramedics found a man’s body in a Coventry flat.


Meadow Street

Ambulance crews were called out to Meadow House in Upper Spon Street, Spon End, at 11.15am on Thursday to reports that a man in the flats had a serious head injury.

A short while after they arrived, 49-year-old Michael Carrielies was pronounced dead.

Jason O’Brien, 39, was arrested and charged with murder. O’Brien, of Crescent Avenue, Stoke, appeared at Coventry Magistrates Court on Saturday morning.

His case was adjourned until later this week when O’Brien will appear at Coventry Crown Court. It is believed the pair were known to each other before the incident last week.

People living close to the flats said there had been a near constant police presence there since Thursday morning.

One woman said: “On Sunday morning police hauled a man out of the flats in handcuffs. He was only wearing a pair of jogging bottoms. There’s been a lot of rumours flying around since Thursday about what’s happened.

“Police and paramedics were swarming over the flats since then. We live close to the flats and you do get a bit of trouble there.

“It’s a shame because some people keep their flats really nice and then something awful like this happens.

“This is quite shocking, because the police have done a terrific job of solving the problems in Spon End.”

When the Telegraph went to the flats on Sunday morning, police officers were still present.

Meadow House is at the far end of Meadow Street close to the subway entrance under the Ring Road, not in Upper Spon Street.

Whitefriars is currently in the process of making Meadow House more attractive to prospective residents by painting it a diferent colour, hence the scaffolding.

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Jury finds Jason O' Brien guilty of murdering his mate Michael Carrielies at Spon End flat



A drunk who battered his best friend to death because he wouldn’t let him in his flat has been jailed for life.

Jason O’Brien brutally attacked Michael Carrielies in his Spon End flat last November just hours after the pair had been out drinking together.

He then stripped Mr Carrielies, 49, naked and put him in the recovery position.

O’Brien, 39, tried to claim Mr Carrielies had thrown the first punch and he had acted in self defence.

But he suffered almost no injuries in the incident and jurors saw through his lies, finding him guilty of murder.

Jailing O’Brien for a minimum of 17 years this afternoon, Judge Patrick Thomas QC said Mr Carrielies was “a completely harmless man”.

“All he wanted to do was have a drink, have something to eat and have a place to lay his head,” Judge Thomas added.

“You had been friends for five or six years. There’s no doubt he trusted you and would not have expected what happened.”

He added: “The attack went on for half an hour. That is a prolonged period for an attack like this.

“He was helpless throughout. Your temper, your rage, took you to the point where, in my mind, you quite deliberately stamped on his head, neck and chest, breaking bones and causing the injuries from which he died.

“It may be from putting him in the recovery position you were showing some remorse for what you had done.

“But what you had done was truly terrible. You destroyed a human life in circumstances that offer no excuse.”

Throughout the case O’Brien, of Crescent Avenue, Stoke, had referred to Mr Carrielies as his best friend.

O’Brien said that he and Mr Carrielies, known as Paddy, had been looking forward to the night out that ultimately led to his friend’s death.

He even claimed he had bought Mr Carrielies a new pair of trainers earlier in the day.

The court heard that the night before Mr Carrielies' murder the pair had been drinking in The Phoenix, in Gosford Street, but when the pub closed the pair separated.

O’Brien claimed that he was then raped – but when he was examined no evidence of a sex attack was found.

He admitted in court that he had probably just wet himself and fallen asleep.

O’Brien returned to Mr Carrielies’ flat in Meadow House, Upper Spon Street, in the early hours of November 27, but could not get in.

He eventually got into the building and neighbours heard him shouting to try and wake Mr Carrielies up.

Mr Carrielies let O’Brien in and, minutes later, he brutally battered him to death.

Deborah Gould, prosecuting, said O’Brien had a lengthy record for offending whilst drunk, and had been prosecuted five times for assaulting police officers including one occasion where he had to be tasered.

O’Brien has also been found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, battery and numerous counts of criminal damage.

Days before Mr Carrielies' murder he was fined for being drunk and disorderly.

In a victim impact statement Mr Carrielies’ sister, Linda Hilton, said: “We are simple people and we don’t deserve this. Paddy didn’t deserve this.

“I’m devastated. This has been the worst period of my life.”

After O’Brien was found guilty two members of his family were arrested outside the court following an incident involving three jurors who had heard the case.

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'Friend' who murdered best mate starts life sentence



This is the face of Coventry murderer Jason O'Brien.

The 39-year-old from Stoke was today starting a life sentence for killing his best pal Michael Carrielies.

Yesterday he was convicted of murdering hjs mate at his Spon End flat last November just hours after the pair had been out drinking together.

Today the Telegraph can publish the killer's picture for the first time.

Jailing O’Brien for a minimum of 17 years this afternoon, Judge Patrick Thomas QC said Mr Carrielies was “a completely harmless man”.

“All he wanted to do was have a drink, have something to eat and have a place to lay his head,” Judge Thomas added.