Amos and Jason Wilsher
Amos and Jason Wilsher are two British Traveller brothers convicted of three violent burglaries, two of which ended in the death of the victim.
Biography edit
In November 2017, the Wilsher brothers and an unidentified accomplice entered the house of 82-year-old Dennis Taylor in Brentwood, Essex, by dressing as police officers. One of the Wilshers then punched Taylor to the ground and the three of them beat him with a baseball bat and a walking stick before fleeing with £800 in cash and jewellery. The victim was left with a broken nose, several broken fingers and severe bruising.
Days later, the three broke into 87-year-old Arthur Gumbley's bungalow in Staffordshire. One of them punched him to the ground and demanded to know where his money was. When he refused to tell them, the attackers kicked him repeatedly in the head, neck and back and dragged him all through the house. They then ransacked the house, escaping with money, jewellery belonging to Gumbley's late wife and a number of antique items. Amos Wilsher also ripped Gumbley's watch from his hand, ripping his skin. Gumbley was admitted to hospital with multiple fractures and a brain bleed and died of his injuries three weeks later on 12 December 2017.
Jason Wilsher was soon arrested on suspicion of the murder of Arthur Gumbley after his DNA was found at the scene. He was convicted in 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment, but was granted a retrial on appeal. While Jason Wilsher's retrial was pending, Amos Wilsher broke into 88-year-old Josephine Kaye's home in Stoke-on-Trent. During the robbery he threw Ms. Kaye to the floor, breaking her leg. He escaped with a safe contained £20, 000 and Josephine Kaye later died of gangrene. However, his DNA was found on several items at the crime scene, and his fingerprint was on the door of Ms. Kaye's car. Wilsher was arrested two weeks after the murder. His DNA was soon linked to the Arthur Gumbley crime scene and he was charged as a co-defendant at his brother's retrial. In addition, they were both identified as Dennis Taylor's attackers.
Both Wilshers were convicted of wounding and conspiracy to rob for the attack on Dennis Taylor and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in 2020. Legal proceedings continued until February 2022, when they were convicted of the murder of Arthur Gumbley. Amos Wilsher was also convicted of the murder of Josephine Kaye. Amos Wilsher received two life sentences with a minimum term of 38 years. Jason Wilsher received a single life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years. Both were spared a whole-life sentence on the grounds that they had not actually intended to kill either victim.