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Spain well death murder

9/ 4/2008

A FATHER and son who beat a Tameside-born businessman to death before dumping his body in a well have been convicted of murder.

Lee Wardleworth, 37, originally from Ashton, was battered with a blunt object in Spain before his body was weighed down with concrete and thrown down the well, in July 2005.

Edward Bent, 58, and his son Jason, 32, from Essex, rifled through his pockets and stole more than £2,000 and a credit card, which was later used to withdraw about £2,700 from Mr Wardleworth’s account.

The court in Malaga was told the pair murdered Mr Wardleworth after he fired Jason from the building firm he ran.

Several months after the sacking the pair decided to seek their revenge and snatched Mr Wardleworth in Alora, a small town 30 miles north of Malaga.

Jason Bent fled to Britain immediately after the murder.He was arrested four months later and extradited back to Spain. His father was arrested in Malaga. Both men denied murder but were found guilty after a four-day trial.

The state prosecutor has demanded that both be jailed for 17 years and they pay nearly £95,000 pounds compensation to Mr Wardleworth's girlfriend along with the money that was taken from the bank account.

Mr Wardleworth had lived in the Malaga area with his girlfriend for several years.

Edward and Jason Bent are due to be sentenced within the next two weeks.