Boy, 14, and teen, 17, guilty of manslaughter after Steven McMyler, 34, killed as thugs tried to steal his Rolex watch

A 14-YEAR-OLD boy and a teen, 17, have today been found guilty of killing a man as they tried to steal his £11,000 Rolex watch.

Steven McMyler, 34, was "kicked to death" in the grounds of Wigan parish church in the early evening of August 6 last year.

Today four males - including a 14-year-old boy - were found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob at Manchester Crown Court. 

Shocked relatives of the defendants wept at the television screen as they watched the jury give its verdicts from a separate courtroom due to social distancing guidelines, Manchester Evening News reported.

McMyler had been drinking in a nearby town centre pub with another man, Lewis Peake, 29, who decided to rob the expensive 18-carat Submariner watch he was wearing, it is claimed.

Peake first tried to persuade two youths outside The Raven pub to help him rob McMyler, and was said to have promised £100 to assault him, the court was told.

Four males from Merseyside - Jordan Short, 20, Michael Wilson, 20 and two youths aged 14 and 17, then arrived at Wigan Wallgate train station at 7.12pm and seven minutes later walked up to the entrance of the church garden.

They were then approached by Peake and asked to carry out the assault, prosecutors said. 

CCTV footage captured the attack on McMyler as he was surrounded by the group and "kicked forcefully to the head", the court heard.

One member of the group later turned on Peake and hit him over the head with a glass bottle. 

The court heard Peake later returned to the attack scene as McMyler lay unconscious "with his face purple", and did not check on him as he made off with his phone and suitcase.

When arrested, Peake denied he was involved with the watch robbery, and claimed he was a victim after the Liverpool group took £200 from him.

McMyler had travelled from Wigan to London with the intention of flying to Thailand - but had later changed his mind and returned home on August 6, the court heard. 

The four defendants will be sentenced on June 11. 

After giving its verdict, Judge Turner told the jury: “You have clearly concentrated on the evidence and over the period of the last few weeks you have discharged your duty.

"The sentence to be passed onto these defendants will wait until June 11, bearing in mind the age of two of the defendants, and the desire of Wilson to equip me with a report to help me decide on the appropriate sentencing."