A MAN has been found guilty of the murder and torture of convicted rapist Alan Lee Street.

Peter Leonard, 52, of Trinity Street, Oswaldtwistle was unanimously found guilty by a jury at Preston Crown Court last Friday.

Detectives leading the case said the level of violence Mr Street was subjected to three days before Christmas last year was "beyond belief and undoubtedly had elements of torture."

Kieron Davison, 21, of Lancaster Drive, Padiham, was cleared of murder but had previously admitted the lesser charge of manslaughter.

A third defendant Ian Palmer, 45, of Whitegate Drive, Padiham, was cleared of murder and manslaughter and walked free from court.

His brother Allan Palmer, 44, of Stockbridge Road, Padiham, had admitted murdering Mr Street before the trial, at his home 29 Stockbridge Road, in Padiham.

Mr Street, 26, of Lime Avenue, Oswaldtwistle had been out drinking in Burnley Town Centre on what is known as ‘Mad Friday’, the last Friday before Christmas and the busiest night of the year for pubs and clubs.

Detectives said he was "extremely drunk, and not in a position to defend himself" when he was lured back to the house by Allan Palmer and attacked with fists and feet, a litre size whisky bottle, a wooden pole and a pair of scissors.

A plastic carrier bag was also placed over his head.

During the five week trial the jury heard Mr Street had been stabbed in the eye, ear and back of the head with the scissors, as well as being stamped on and repeatedly kicked and hit with a wooden pole following allegations he was a paedophile.

The prosecution dismissed these allegations as there was no evidence to collaborate them.

Mr Street did however serve a six year sentence for raping an adult when he was 16. It is thought Mr Street would of survived the vicious attack for anything from half an hour to two hours.

It took the jury just over five hours to unanimously reach their verdict on all three men standing trial.

Huge amounts of Mr Street’s blood were found at the Stockbridge Road property on 21 December last year after the police received an anonymous tip off about the sighting of blood stained clothing.

Large pools of blood were found on the carpets, sofas, walls, skirting boards, ceiling and light fittings.

The scene described by the police as "very distressing" was enough to convince the leading officer, DS Neil Hunter that a murder had taken place.

A national manhunt was launched for brother-in-laws Allan Palmer and Leonard who went on the run after hearing the police were searching the murder scene.

Detectives carried out several searches across Hyndburn and the wider Lancashire area looking for Mr Street’s body, including sites at Oswaldtwistle Moors, Piney Lodge, Oswaldtwistle and Rivington Pike, in Bolton.

Mr Street’s body was found almost three weeks later, on 19 January, by chance. It was wrapped in a sheet and dumped in a culvert under Woodnook Mill, in Mount Street, Accrington, weighed down by bricks by contractors of the Environment Agency.

The recorder of Preston, Judge Anthony Russell QC, said an indeterminate life sentence would be the only sentence he could pass to Leonard.

He requested a pre-sentence report to assess Davison’s dangerousness and to see if an indeterminate sentence was necessary.

As the jury foreman announced Leonard’s guilty verdict, Mr Street’s ex-partner Jayne Proctor fled from the public gallery in tears.

There were gasps of ‘yes’ from the family of Alan Lee Street, and his mum, Anne Bennett sat sobbing silently as the rest of the verdicts were announced.

DS Hunter said the case had been a very difficult and resource intensive enquiry and that the "exact circumstances" of the attack would never be known.

He said: "There was no doubt in my mind when I first saw the scene that a most horrific crime had taken place at Stockbridge Road and that we were dealing with some extremely dangerous, ruthless and violent criminals.

"The fact that they took advantage of a man who was very intoxicated and not in a position to defend himself was also an extremely cowardly act.

"It is clear that Mr Street was lured to the property by Alan Palmer with the specific intention of inflicting a brutal and savage beating born out of revenge.

"The levels of violence used in this sustained and prolonged attacked was beyond belief. The callous actions of the offenders clearly showed no respect for human life by bundling the victim into a car, which they drove around for two days looking for a place to bury the body, and then dumping it in a culvert, which was in effect a freezing tomb at that time of year, was an act that is simply deplorable.

"I hope the family and friends of Alan Lee can find some sort of closure from the verdict and that they can, in some small way, move on with their lives."

After the verdict, Preston Crown Court heard Leonard had a ‘very long’ criminal record for burglary, violence and driving offences, starting in 1969.

Judge Russell said he had ‘a number of sentences for sporadic violence and dishonesty’.

Davidson also had a long record of community orders and was on an electronic tag for theft at the time of the killing.

He had convictions for battery, shoplifting and threatening behaviour dating back seven years, and he had history of breaching his orders.

Sentencing for Leonard, Davison and Allan Palmer will take place in four weeks.