THE family of a man callously beaten and left to slowly die by two men have spoken of their heartbreak as they were jailed for life.

Ryan Burey and Craig Hardy carried out a sustained, violent assault on defenceless Adam Chawla after a row broke out over a stolen bike.

They were jailed at Teesside Crown Court alongside Naeem Iqbal who was sentenced to three years in prison for perverting the course of justice following the fatal attack in February this year.

In a moving victim impact statement, the father-of-two's mother said: “Adam was a much-loved son, brother, father and friend. We are heartbroken knowing we will never get to see him again and that his life has been so tragically cut short in such horrible circumstances.

“We have endured throughout the trial listening to the exact details of what happened to Adam, how he was so viciously attacked and then left on the floor for over 10 hours seriously injured and fighting for his life. We will never understand how anyone could be so callous to do that to another person when it was so obvious he needed urgent medical attention.

“The photographs that were taken of Adam at that time will haunt our memories forever. Our beautiful son who was so full of life was afforded no dignity or respect in his last few hours on this earth.

“This has been the worst time in our lives, the pain of losing Adam in such tragic circumstances is unbearable, we will always be left wondering what life could have been like for him and what experiences and adventures he would have had.

“Adam will never get the opportunity to watch his daughter and son grow up. They at some point will also have to learn exactly what happened to him. We dread that day and wish we could take away their pain.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who have supported us through this awful time, family, friends and members of the local community have been of great help to us, we will never forget people’s kindness.

“As a family we suffer the real life sentence, until you have experienced something like this you cannot begin to imagine how painful and difficult life becomes.”

The Northern Echo: Adam ChawlaAdam Chawla

Temporary Detective Superintendent Paula Dewell, Homicide & Major Enquiry Team at Cleveland Police, added: "The events that occurred at Eleanor Place, Stockton, on 19th February this year demonstrate the worst of human behaviour.

“Adam was subjected to a vicious attack, he was severely injured and lay unconscious for over 10 hours, all the while the persons responsible were so concerned about protecting themselves and evading justice that they failed to summon the medical help he so desperately needed. Instead they concocted a web of lies in an attempt to mislead the investigation team. 

“Fortunately their lies were exposed following a thorough and professional investigation, aided greatly by many members of the public who bravely came forward to provide statements; some of whom also gave evidence during the trial.

“Cleveland Police is committed to delivering an outstanding service to the communities we serve, but we cannot do this without public assistance and to those people who helped I say a huge thank you and well done.    

“The harrowing facts of this case have been difficult to comprehend. Adam’s family have suffered unimaginably. Their life sentence started the moment he was attacked and the whole experience feels like a nightmare they simply cannot wake up from.  I want to thank them for their support and faith in the investigation team and hope that today’s verdict provides some comfort in the knowledge that justice has been served.

“I would also like to thank all of the officers and professional witnesses involved in the investigation. This has been a difficult and complex case and the dedication and commitment shown by everyone involved has assisted in securing convictions of this nature.

“I hope that in time people will remember Adam Chawla for the way he lived and not the way he so sadly died. He was a vibrant, fun-loving person who always helped people if he could.  He will be loved and missed by his family forever, may he finally rest in peace.”             

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