Teenage burglar killed two nursing home pensioners after 'finding nothing worth stealing'

A teenager burglar who killed two patients after breaking into a nursing home was told yesterday he faces at least 30 years in jail.

Nathan Mann was just 19 when he carried out his horrific attack on Rashmi Badiani and Radhaben Chauhan after getting into the ground-floor room they shared through a window.

Both were bed-bound and helpless to resist Mann as he beat 56-year-old Mrs Badiani to death and smothered Mrs Chauhan, 72, with her bedclothes.

Mann has admitted being in the two friends' room at the Hayes Park Nursing Home, Leicester, in November last year, but has refused to say why he killed them.

At Nottingham Crown Court yesterday, where he pleaded guilty to the murders, his counsel denied suggestions of a sexual motive.

Mann, 20, of Crown Hills, Leicester, was remanded in custody for sentencing on July 30.

Mr Justice McCombe warned him he could expect to spend at least 30 years behind bars for crimes of such 'an appalling nature'.

Dilip Popat, Mrs Badiani's brother-in-law, said he should never be released.

Police revealed a  member of staff who was carrying out a routine early-morning check discovered the pair’s bodies just before 4am on November 7 last year.

Police believe Mann killed them after sneaking into their ground-floor room through an insecure window at around 11.30pm the night before.

Victims: Mrs Chauhan, left, was beaten to death, and Mrs Badiani smothered

Det Insp Mark Harrison, of Leicestershire police, who led the investigation, said officers would probably never know why Mann turned to murder.

He said the killer had admitted entering the women’s room with the intention of stealing something but had said nothing about what else happened.

Mr Harrison said: ‘Mrs Badiani suffered severe head injuries. No weapon was found, and we were left to deduce that he used his own hands.

‘Mrs Chauhan was smothered with her own bedclothes, which we assume included her pillow.

‘The level of violence against two bed-bound women, both of whom needed constant medical care, is an indication of extreme cowardice.

‘You have to ask why it was necessary to take these two lives and leave their families utterly devastated. There was little of value to steal.’

Detectives were never able to establish whether Mann, who was arrested the day after the killings, actually stole anything from the home.

During legal argument before Mann’s guilty pleas Timothy Spencer QC, prosecuting, suggested there may have been a sexual motive.

He said: ‘Whatever might have been going on in his head, the facts indicate that sexual conduct had taken place in both of these killings.’

But Paul Mann QC, defending, said: ‘We accept the ladies concerned were partially undressed, but he has no recollection of how that came to be.’

The judge ordered medical reports to be carried out on Mann, of Avonside Drive, Crown Hills, Leicester, who admitted two charges of murder.

After the hearing Det Ch Insp Phil Smith described the killer, who has previous convictions for burglary, as ‘a violent and dangerous individual’.

He said: ‘Nathan Mann took the lives of two defenceless and vulnerable women in an unprovoked and cowardly attack as they lay in their beds.

‘This was an horrific incident that devastated two families. I hope that once the sentence is handed out they will be able to begin to rebuild their lives.’

Speaking on behalf of her family, Dilip Popat, Mrs Badiani’s brother-in-law, said Mann deserved never to leave prison for such shocking crimes.

He said: ‘He took away the right to life of two vulnerable women, and for that we would like to see him never having the joy of a normal life.

‘He has taken the smile from our faces and made our lives a misery. We have lost a dear and loved member of our family, and that pain will never go away.’

Mr Chauhan’s son-in-law, Vinjay Solanki, added: ‘My mother-in-law was a strong-willed lady who had devoted her life to helping others.

‘She was recovering from a stroke and looking forward to her grandson’s wedding. She was loved by all her family and always had a smile on her face.

‘Mann took away from us one very precious person who can never be replaced. We will never forgive him - and he must pay for his crime.’

The nursing home, in Cropthorne Avenue, a quiet cul-de-sac in the Rowlatts Hill area of Leicester, offers accommodation for around 50 residents.

It caters for the elderly, people with learning and physical disabilities, people with dementia and people suffering from mental disorders.

Police said that, although Mann was able to enter through an insecure window, they were satisfied the home met ‘standard safety requirements’.