Two men have been found guilty of brutally murdering a father and dumping his body in a caravan after mistakenly believing he was a paedophile.
Mark Roberts and David Garland were also guilty of conspiracy to murder Michael Wheeler, while Jack Rance, Angus Warner, and Reuben Clare, were cleared of all charges at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday.
Mr Wheeler, 37, had been friends with all five but his relationship with Roberts, to whom he owed £100, went downhill when the others saw an article about a man - also named Michael Wheeler - who was jailed in 2003 after admitting grooming and sexually abusing two 13-year-old girls.
They were not the same person and prosecuting counsel, David Elias, KC, made it clear the victim had no convictions for child sexual offences.
Mr Wheeler was then attacked at Roberts's flat in Yeovil in the early hours of August 24, 2024, suffering multiple injuries, including 11 skull and facial fractures.
