A killer tortured and murdered a pensioner in a frenzied knife attack after he refused to hand over his pin number.
John Swannack, 59, will spend at least 30 years behind bars for the sadistic killing of Bill Howard, 79, whose body was found slumped on the sofa with severe head and chest injuries.
Despite the agony he was in, Mr Howard never handed over his PIN and defensive injuries to his arms and hands showed he tried to fight off the killer.
His flat, in Accrington, Lancs, smelled of cleaning products and fly spray while his clothes were dowsed in white spirit.
Swannack was a known killer who was already on licence for life after being convicted of killing a friend with an iron bar in a fight and a gun point robbery, reports Lancs Live.
He struck again last August, killing Mr Howard whose brother raised the alarm to police when the pensioner did not show up for their usual meeting place to go to the pub.
Judge Robert Altham said puncture wounds to Mr Howard's eyelids would have been "excruciating" and that it was apparent he had been incapacitated, either by restraint or fear.
In the summer of 2021, Swannack befriended a number of vulnerable residents in Accrington and tricked them into handing over their bank details.
But when Mr Howard refused to give the killer his PIN number, he was tortured and killed with one of many wounds to his chest penetrating his heart.
By 6pm, Swannack was using Mr Howard’s bank card to buy vodka and groceries and spent £150 on the card before it was declined two days later.
Further investigations showed Swannack had also drugged a disabled man in order to steal his bank card. Another man was also exploited by the killer.
Judge Robert Altham, the honorary recorder of Preston, passed sentence. He said: "This was plainly a murder for gain. There was gratuitous violence used to torture Mr Howard.
"Mr Howard was vulnerable due to his age and infirmity. The defendant has convictions for homicide and offences committed for gain."
A statement read out on behalf of Bill's brother Jack said: “Bill and I grew up in a family of four brothers. I was the eldest and Bill and I were always the closest through our childhood, this bond continued throughout our lives.
“Everyone who knew Bill knew what a kind and gentle man he was. I don’t think he had a bad bone in his body. He was never one for confirmation. Bill would not hurt a fly and I don’t think he had ever had a fight in his life. Bill has done mothing whatsoever to deserve what happened to him, he was just living a peaceful life and spent his days quietly going about his own business.
“Unfortunately, Bill never had it easy in his life, none of it was his fault. His wife died young and left Bill bringing up his son, who was just an infant, on his own. Bill never remarried and worked hard to bring up his son alone. We tried to support him as best we could through these tough times.
“Sadly, Bill suffered another tragedy when his son passed away as a young adult. Bill, at this point, had moved to a nearby town, where he was living a simple life alone in his flat.
“Despite living miles apart, we kept in touch often. We would meet up twice in a week in town. Bill would be waiting for me sat on a bench.
"We would shake hands or bump fists and call each other “Amigo” then head down the street to the pub. We would sit together on our own and just talk. We would chat about everything and discuss any worries we had.
"I never felt alone with my problems as I knew always [to] talk to Bill. We never argued over anything, if I said I didn’t like someone on TV Bill would say he didn’t like it either. Those good times are gone for good now.”
Swannack was a crack cocaine addict who kept his habit secret from his wife, exploited vulnerable people during the pandemic to fuel his addiction to class A drugs.
Joanna White for the CPS said: “John Swannack ruthlessly targeted vulnerable people and was prepared to go to any lengths, including torturing and killing a man for pocket money.
“We worked closely with Lancashire Police to build a robust prosecution case, which included the examination of many hours of CCTV footage. When faced with the overwhelming evidence against him, John Swannack was left with no other option than to plead guilty to all the offences he faced.
“Our thoughts remain with the Mr Howard’s family and friends along with all who have been affected by John Swannack’s despicable actions.”
DCI Allen Davies, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “Swannack is a callous and manipulative individual who deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable people so he could rip them off to fuel his expensive crack cocaine habit.
“Bill Howard couldn’t have been more different. He was a kind, quiet, unassuming man, who lived a simple life without bothering anybody. I cannot and do not want to imagine what he went through in the final hours of his life at the wicked hands of Swannack.
“I welcome the sentence handed down by the Judge, which reflects the seriousness of Swannack’s offending and the danger he posed to the vulnerable people of Hyndburn.
"My thoughts do however remain with Bill’s family, particularly his brother, Jack.
“I would like to praise my colleagues for their hard work and dedication in this harrowing case. It was thanks to the high-quality investigation and the overwhelming evidence obtained that Swannack had little option but to fully admit to what he had done.”
