Two men have been handed life sentences for murdering a man they wrongly thought was a convicted paedophile.
Mark Roberts, 39, of Juniper Close, Yeovil, and David Garland, 40, of no fixed abode, were convicted by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday 5 June.
Garland and Roberts were each found guilty of both the murder of Michael Wheeler and conspiracy to cause him grievous bodily harm with intent.
Garland had previously admitted preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body.
Today, Friday 13 June, Garland was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 32 years for murder. He was handed a two-year jail term for preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body, to be served concurrently.
Roberts was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years for murder.
There was no additional penalty for either man for conspiracy to commit GBH with intent.
Michael, 37, from Yeovil, was friends with the pair, but owed £100 to Roberts. He was murdered at Roberts’ flat in the early hours of 24 August 2024. Officers found his body hidden in a derelict caravan on farmland in Yarlington a month later.
Roberts and Garland had found an online report about the 2003 sentencing of another man with the same name. The murdered man had no convictions for child sexual offences and was only 16 in 2003.
Three other men were acquitted of any involvement.
When Michael disappeared, his mother was suffering from a terminal illness. She passed away before the trial, but had written a victim personal statement which was read to the court.
She said: “I have had my DNR (do not resuscitate) changed so that I can try and stay alive as long as possible. I want to make it to trial. I want to see justice served on these people.
“I may not be here when this statement is read out, but that means I am with my son.”
She described the sleepless nights she had after Michael disappeared and the anger and pain she felt.
She said: “I wasn’t able to see Michael once he had been found and this was because of the circumstances he was found in … This upset me, I wanted to say goodbye to him … As a family we haven’t been able to get back to normal. We’ve all been looking out for one another. It’s so difficult for us all, I would just love to have him back.”
Michael with his mother (family handout)
Michael’s older sister described him as a “loving man with a big heart”. She said he was “brilliant” with her children, always making time for them.
She said: “It breaks my heart that he will never get to see them grow up. The children miss their uncle terribly. Michael never had the change to say goodbye to our mum – he was her golden boy. When we got the news from the police, mum’s health deteriorated so quickly.
“I was caring for her, and to lose both my brother and then mum shortly after has been unbearable … I’m saddened to think she left us without knowing the full truth of what happened to Michael. I am filled with anger and confusion. I cannot understand why anyone would want to kill him.
“It has scarred me for life … This loss is going to affect me forever … Although the trial is over, the pain remains. I want my brother back. These terrible men have taken my brother away from me and our family … They must face the consequences of this awful act.”
Michael Wheeler (family handout)
In her statement, Michael’s ex-wife described the significant impact of his death on the health and wellbeing of her and their young daughter.
She added: “Michael was my ex-husband but also my best friend … Even on my lowest days he would always find a way to make me laugh. He was painfully shy, but because of that, he was somehow the loudest person in the room …
“No sentence the judge can give will ever be enough. Nothing can compare to the pain of taking Michael away from our daughter … Michael was not the person these men thought he was … They never gave him a chance.
“Michael … was a loving father, a loyal friend and a good man. I don’t want his memory to be defined by how he died … Michael loved [our daughter] deeply. He regretted not being in her life as much as he wanted and was determined to turn his life around for her.”
