Man jailed after beating his frail father to death with dumbbell in row over £40

A man who beat his frail father to death with a dumbbell as he lay on the floor has been jailed for 18 years.

Aston Lambert unleashed a violent and sustained assault on Alban Lambert, 78, on 17 March, last year. The 33-year-old had visited his father's flat in Longbridge Road, Earl's Court, demanding money.

When Alban refused, Aston carried out the attack, the majority of which happened while the victim lay on the floor, the court heard. On Friday at Southwark Crown Court, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Aston had been living at his father's flat in the years prior to the murder. But his behaviour became violent and aggressive in the months before the attack, causing Alban to ask him to leave.

When Alban let him into the flat on 17 March, he was a frail man who was struggling with his mobility. Alban phoned his partner to say his son was in the flat demanding £40.

But the phone was abruptly cut off and Alban's partner made repeated attempts to call back, but was unsuccessful. By 2pm neighbours heard sounds of a disturbance coming from the flat and phoned the police.

When medics and officers arrived just after 3.15pm they found Alban lying lifeless in his flat. A dumbbell was found by the side of his head.

Aston claimed he had acted in self defence after Alban had assaulted him, but this was disproved by CCTV. A statement from Alban's family read: "Mr Alban Lambert was deeply loved by all who knew him, in particular, his family and friends.

He brought love and laughter to all around him. "It is therefore immensely sad to find ourselves trying to comprehend the senseless tragic act which resulted in the loss of his life.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's been supporting us throughout this difficult time. We would also like to say thank you to the medics who tried to save his life, the legal team and the police.

"We are devastated by the loss of Alban who was many things to many people - he was a father, grandfather, stepfather, brother, uncle, cousin, partner friend." Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend said: "This has been an emotionally difficult case, and my thoughts are with all those affected by the profound loss of Mr Alban Lambert. "While no sentence can undo what has happened, today's outcome reflects the gravity of this crime.".