Phillip Heggarty

Case record

Phillip Heggarty (born 1956) was a British murderer.

The offence

In 2003, Phillip Heggarty murdered his friend Derek Bennett (41) in a hammer attack in Cardiff.

Heggarty also stole £3,000 from Derek Bennett. Mr Bennett’s remains were found in the rear of his blazing Renault Laguna in a car park in Cardiff.

The body was so severely mutilated that it had to be identified by dental records.

The murder weapon was described during the trial as a hammer-type object, and it was never found.

Investigation

During the trial, the jury heard that:

• CCTV footage showed the friends driving in convoy from the Cardiff International Arena car park (where Mr Bennett had earlier left his car) in the direction of Heggarty’s home.
• Mr Bennett’s blood was found inside Heggarty’s flat at Clare Road in Grangetown, and on clothes Heggarty was wearing on the night of the killing.
• Heggarty’s fingerprints were discovered in the blood on a wall in the cellar of the flat.
• Forensic tests determined that the murder weapon was a hammer-type object.
• Greg Bull QC said splashes of blood on Heggarty’s settee were consistent with the attack being carried out with the victim lying on it.
• Greg Bull QC told the court that Mr Bennett may have been “asleep or dozing or with his back to his attacker” at the time.

Arrest

After his arrest, the jury was told Heggarty was found to have paid off £1,500 of debts on the same day as the murder. A cache of drugs was also discovered at his girlfriend’s home.

Trial

The trial at Swansea Crown Court heard that the close friends had spent the evening together at a party after drinking in a city pub in April 2003.

Phillip Heggarty, a salesman, denied murder.

He told the jury that Derek Bennett “was like the brother I never had”, adding that it was “incredible” to say that he had killed his friend.

He also said Mr Bennett, a former chef in the merchant navy, used his ground floor flat to store his drugs and used to move in for a day or two at a time if he argued with his partner.

During the trial, the court was told Mr Bennett was known to have been carrying up to £3,000 in cash and illicit drugs worth about £10,000.

Greg Bull QC, prosecuting, said:

“Mr Bennett may have been ‘asleep or dozing or with his back to his attacker’ at the time.”

Sentencing

On July 23, 2004, Heggarty was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The judge, Mr Justice Roderick Evans, described Heggarty as a “dangerous man” and said:

“You are a resourceful and manipulative liar. This was a brutal and very violent killing.” “There is no doubt he enjoyed your company that night, drinking, taking drugs and going to an all- night party.” “Within hours of that coming to an end, you bludgeoned him to death, hitting him about the head with a blunt object, shattering his skull into 23 pieces. He took one and a half hours to die.” “I have no doubt your motive was robbery.”

Under new Home Office regulations, judges in murder trials now had to announce in open court the minimum sentence to be served behind bars for those jailed for “life.” Mr Justice Evans said the recommended starting point of 30 years for a crime like Heggarty’s was “inadequate”.

Mr Justice Evans told Heggarty he was too dangerous ever to be allowed out.

The court heard details of Heggarty’s history of violence, including previous convictions for attempted murder and several violent robberies in which he targeted elderly people.

Outcome

Outside the court, Derek Bennett’s brother, Paul (45), welcomed the life sentence, saying:

“Justice has been served and it has given me faith again in the justice system. At the end of the day there is no jubilation for me in this. He should never be on the streets. He should have been locked up a long time ago.”

Heggarty’s solicitor Andrew Shanahan said:

“Mr Heggarty is shocked at the verdict and intends to appeal against the conviction. We will be preparing the appeal as soon as possible.”

On 23 February 2008, The Times revealed that Heggarty was one of around 50 prisoners who had been issued with whole life tariffs and were unlikely ever to be released from prison.

Other details

Firefighters discovered Derek Bennett’s remains in the rear of his blazing Renault Laguna in the car park of the Earl Haig British Legion Club in Whitchurch, Cardiff, two days after the murder.

Derek Bennett lived with his partner, step children, and young son in St Mellons.

Heggarty’s flat was at Clare Road in Grangetown, Cardiff.

After the murder, Heggarty bundled Derek Bennett’s body in a rug, put it into a car, and set fire to both in a Cardiff car park.

The blazing car with Mr Bennett’s body in it was left abandoned.