Pensioner killers trapped by 'jigsaw' evidence

Facial mapping techniques, DNA matches and CCTV and phone evidence helped convict Dean and Michael Atkins of the murder of an elderly woman.

The brothers beat Kam Fun Chung to death after breaking into her home at Cowley, Middlesex, looking for cash and valuables.

Mrs Chung, a Chinese restaurant owner, was dragged from room to room as they searched for her life savings.

Just 4ft 10ins tall and weighing seven stone, she was left with injuries comparable to those suffered by a victim of a 70 to 80mph car crash.

Michael, 25, left, and Dean, 26, and their friend Thomas Carty then targeted the home of businessman Bernard Dwyer, who lived in Uxbridge.

The gang, armed with a knife, crowbar, knuckleduster and an imitation pistol, attacked him and threatened his family.

They held his daughter Aisling at knife-point as Mr Dwyer fought back, wrestling the gun from them. He was left with 34 injuries, including stab wounds to his head and hands.

The killers fled empty-handed, eventually abandoning the car they had stolen from Mrs Chung.

Forensic experts who examined the gun found DNA from Carty and the two victims, Mrs Chung and Mr Dwyer.

But when the suspect hanged himself while on remand in London's Belmarsh Prison, the case against the Atkins brothers presented further challenges for the prosecution team.

Lead prosecutor, Damaris Lakin, from the Homicide Team, Complex Casework Centre, said: "The death of the defendant with the strongest evidence against him gave them an opportunity to blame him for everything.

"With no direct evidence against the brothers we had to make sure that all the pieces of the jigsaw fitted."

Those pieces included CCTV footage of a stolen car used by the defendants, DNA from the vehicle, phone records and statements from eye witnesses who saw the gang in a pub before the break-ins.

Witnesses also included a barmaid who said Michael Atkins showed her a platinum ring, one of only two made by a relative of Mrs Chung.

After studying footage from Mr Dwyer's CCTV system, a facial mapping expert said he was unable to exclude Dean Atkins, left, from the crime scene. Measurements of features such as his jaw and hair lines fitted his profile exactly.

The brothers were found guilty of murder, two charges of aggravated burglary, wounding and possessing an imitation firearm after a five-week trial at the Old Bailey. They were jailed for life in February.

Damaris, prosecution team leader, described the case as one of the worst she had handled.