SERIAL BURGLAR JAILED FOR LIFE FOR MURDER OF HALESOWEN PENSIONER
A serial intruder who restrained a pensioner from Halesowen in a chair, leaving him to perish, has received a life sentence with a minimum term of 33 years.Adris Mohammed waited nine days before returning to the residence of David Varlow to untie him, and then utilized the 78-year-old’s bank card to make withdrawals from his account.
Prosecutors stated that Mohammed, aged 44, was aware that Mr Varlow had died alone and had remained unable to free himself, as his stolen bank card had not been canceled.
Post-mortem examinations were inconclusive regarding the time of Mr Varlow’s death, but it is believed he suffered a stress-induced heart attack at his home on Manor Lane.
During today’s hearing at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Melbourne Inman QC described the murder that occurred in November last year as "a horrific case." The judge emphasized Mohammed’s intent to kill, noting that the evidence from pathology and other sources could not establish the exact time of death between November 3 and November 11.
He stated, "The harsh reality is that it is not known whether he survived hours or days.
The significant aggravating factor is the brutal manner of this killing and the suffering endured by Mr Varlow in his final moments." Judge Inman observed that Mohammed showed no remorse during his testimony and that he deliberately and methodically confronted and restrained the elderly man, leaving him immobilized without food or water, with the intent to kill.
The judge noted that Mr Varlow was left utterly helpless, in a position that would be difficult for anyone to endure even briefly, much less an elderly person.
He condemned Mohammed’s implausible defense and stated that Mr Varlow was likely terrified and pleading for his life, fully aware that no help would arrive for nearly two weeks.
Mohammed, who used telephone wire to bind Mr Varlow, was convicted last month of murder, attempted burglary, and two counts each of fraud and theft.
He denied involvement in his victim’s death, claiming another person had asked him to assist with removal work.
Earlier in the trial, prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith detailed how Mohammed visited Mr Varlow’s home three times between October 24 and November 12, initially attempting to break in but returning in the early hours of November 3.
Mohammed then allegedly used a knife to coerce Mr Varlow into revealing his PIN, aiming to withdraw as much as possible from an account with £19,000.
He also allowed accomplices to use the stolen card to withdraw thousands of pounds, and personally stole £550, which he used to purchase a bangle pawned in Stafford.
Mr Varlow’s body, standing 5ft 6in, was discovered on the floor near a discarded knife, with his arms untied and almost crossed behind his back.
Computer-generated images presented at trial illustrated wounds to his ankles consistent with ligatures, along with ligature marks on his wrists and ankles, and evidence of two separate bindings around his arms.
Co-defendant O'Shay Swan, 42, of Winson Green Road, Birmingham, was sentenced to six years in prison for burglary and fraud, after traveling with Mohammed to Manor Lane on November 11-12 and participating in the use of Mr Varlow’s bank card.
