Bulwell man jailed for his part in horrific torture and murder of father-of-five

James McGhee, 28, of Stanstead Avenue, along with Mark Campbell and Simmion Goldbourne used a machete, a large knife and a wooden handle to hack and thrash to death 44-year-old Carl Woodall in Rowley Regis last year.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that Mr Woodall was stripped naked and savagely beaten to death during a two-hour torture ordeal.

He suffered 141 injuries before his body was discovered in a unit on an industrial estate.

He was wearing just one sock at the time he was found dead by his son and girlfriend on June 28 last year.

Jurors heard that he ultimately died from a traumatic brain injury but defensive bruises and cuts on his arms suggested he was conscious for much of the attack.

Police tracked down his killers, who are all from Nottingham, using CCTV and piecing together the links Mr Woodall had to the men.

Campbell, 39, and Goldbourne, 28, both from Nottingham, were found guilty of murder and jailed for life to serve a minimum of 36 years.

McGhee, 28, was convicted of manslaughter. and sentenced to 15 years in jail.

Detectives discovered Campbell met Mr Woodall’s stepsons in prison in 2018 and made contact with one of them in June 2021.

Officers say he spent time in a hotel in Halesowen, West Midlands, and visited the Doulton Trading Estate near the murder scene.

It is thought he had a dispute with Mr Woodhall’s stepsons and left the area before returning with McGhee and Goldbourne days later.

CCTV footage captured a silver Nissan Qashqai driven along Doulton Road by McGhee with passengers Goldbourne and Campbell inside at 1.15am.

Minutes later, Goldbourne and Campbell were seen looking around the premises before they returned to the car.

All three men then headed in the direction of Mr Woodall’s caravan before Goldbourne and Campbell scaled a metal fence and entered the yard at the industrial unit.

The pair then emerged at around 4.13am, with Goldbourne carrying a box and Campbell a bag, before McGhee drove them away seconds later.

His body was discovered the next day and police were called.

Forensic analysis of the unit showed that an untidy search had been made and a bloodstained knife and machete were found.

CCTV showed McGhee dropping Campbell at his girlfriend’s flat in Nottingham at around 8.30pm on June 27.

McGhee was later seen with a large amount of cash when he re-fuelled his car and bought snacks at a local garage.

He took a large blood-stained crowbar back home with him which police later found in his garden.

When the car was seized, Mr Woodall’s blood stains were found in the front passenger and rear seat.

Goldbourne was also caught on CCTV dumping a bag containing the clothes he wore on the night of the killing in a skip.

Detective Inspector Hannah Whitehouse, of West Midlands Police, said: “We do not fully understand why Carl was killed but his death was senseless and the level violence used was deplorable.

“Carl was a quiet and well-liked man.

“He did nothing to deserve what happened to him on that dreadful day.”

This story first appeared on our National World site.