A callous burglar who murdered a pensioner who was found tied up at his home and left to dier has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 33 years.
Serial burglar Adris Mohammed showed no emotion in the dock at Birmingham Crown Court as he was jailed for life for killing 78-year-old David Varlow in Halesowen, West Midlands.
The 44-year-old from Birmingham broke into his home on November 3, and tied him up using a phone cable before robbing him and leaving him bound.
The pensioner died from a heart attack brought on by the stress of his ordeal and Mohammed would later return to rob him once more and would have found the dead body.
It was his second attempt to break into the home, and a few weeks earlier on October 24 he had tried, but fled after police were called.
Passing sentence, the Recorder of Birmingham Melbourne Inman QC said the murder in November last year, which saw Mr Varlow die from a heart attack, could "only properly be described as an horrific case".
The judge told Mohammed: "Having seen you give evidence it's clear you have not a shred of remorse.
"You knew Mr Varlow would be at home and when you confronted him you set about a deliberate and calculated course of action in tying him in the way you did. You intended to kill him by leaving him immobile without food or water."
During his trial, Birmingham Crown court heard how he stole one of Mr Varlow’s bank cards and forced him to reveal its pin before withdrawing hundreds of pounds.
Mr Varlow was found collapsed on his living room floor by West Midlands Police Officers on November 15 and despite the best efforts of emergency services they could not save him.
Mohammed originally denied murder, manslaughter, attempted burglarly and two counts of each fraud and burglary before he was found guilty.
After breaking in around 5.20am on November 3, Mohammed tied Mr Varlow up using a phone cable as he ransacked his home. Mohammed even cut the phone lines so his victim couldn't call for help and made off with his bank card.
Then on November 12, Mohammed returned to Mr Varlow's home around midnight, with a second man, O'Shea Swan. They would have seen that the pensioner was died and untied him and stole a second bank card.
Swan, 42, of Winson Green Road, was earlier convicted of the November 11 burglary and fraud and is due to be sentenced.
Mr Varlow's body was not found until over ten days since the break in, on November 15, when police attended the address on after his brother and neighbours raised concerns that they had not seen him recently.
The handle of a knife, the handle of a pair of scissors and the phone cable found at the scene had the DNA of Adris Mohammed on it. Mr Varlow was believed to have been dead for some time when he was eventually discovered.
During the trial, opening the case prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith QC told the court Mohammed tried unsuccessfully to burgle the home on October 24 but Mr Varlow dialled 999.
The prosecutor stated he returned to the area the next day and failed to get into another property after claiming he had been mugged.
Mr Grieves-Smith said: "He did go back to Halesowen on November 3. On this occasion he got inside the house. Having got inside he stole a Barclays Bank card. His plan was to withdraw as much money as he could.
"He was old and frail but he (Mohammed) did not care. Mr Varlow was left tied up in his own home. Mohammed went back to the property with Swan.
"On this occasion they stole a bank card that had expired. Mohammed would have felt confident when he returned he would not be in a position to recognise him because he would be dead.
“Mr Varlow died because Mohammed tied him up. His body was found there a few days later when police forced entry."
Following the pensioner's death, Mr Varlow’s family have paid their tributes to him.
We are devastated to have lost a much loved brother and uncle," they said. "There are no words to describe the pain and grief we as a family are going through following David’s death.
“We would like to thank the police for their hard work and tenacity in which they are dealing with this case. We would also like to thank David’s neighbours who raised the alarm. Rest in peace David.”
Claire Day, one of Mr Varlow's nieces, said: "Uncle David was the loveliest, most caring person you could ever meet. He was very independent, he lived a simple life.
"He didn't have expensive material things, he was just a lovely, lovely, old man." She added: "To pass away in those circumstances was just cruel, was just sick, just (your) worst nightmare.
"How anyone can do that to another human being, the things that we have heard in court, it is just cruel. We have got no words, no thoughts about him, he is jut not worth our breathe or energy."
