The brother of torture murder victim Jimmy Prout says he now has some sympathy for one of the killers after hearing the the remorse she has shown in prison.
Ann Corbett was jailed for life alongside Zahid Zaman after they were both convicted of murdering vulnerable Jimmy, in Percy Main, near North Shields, in 2016.
In the run-up to his death Jimmy was subjected to a campaign of sick abuse while being held captive at Zaman's home.
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A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) that will examine the circumstances surrounding the horrific murder is now set to be published in September.
But a draft report was shared with Jimmy's brother, Eddie Prout, today.
And after learning that Corbett had expressed remorse after agreeing to be interviewed in prison for the review, Eddie says he now has some sympathy for the woman who murdered his brother.
The 57-year-old said: "In a way I now feel sorry for Ann Corbett. I have got a little bit of sympathy for her because the person that interviewed her at prison said she was full of remorse. She says she just wants to die in prison.
"She even said she would like to say sorry and if she could have prevented it she would have. She's the only one that has shown any kind of remorse. It does bring me a little bit of comfort and I do feel a little bit sorry for her."
And Eddie said that after hearing about the contents of the report he is now confident that lessons can be learned from his brother's murder.
He added: "There was a lot that didn't come out in court that I wasn't aware of. Some of it was soul destroying and some of it was like a kick in the guts.
"There were opportunities missed to see how much danger Jimmy was in, but I feel positive that this is all going to come out now.
"If this can help prevent this happening to any other person I'll be happy."
Jimmy, who suffered from learning difficulties, died after he was held captive Zaman's house, on St Stephen’s Way, where he was subjected to grotesque violence in one of the North East's most shocking crimes of recent years.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Zaman inflicted unbelievable cruelty on 45-year-old Jimmy, from Scotswood in Newcastle.
Zaman cut out one of Jimmy's testicles and forced him to eat it, knocked his teeth out with a hammer and chisel and forced him to have to sex with a dog.
Jimmy died on February 9, 2016, and his body was discovered more than a month later on wasteland near the Tyne Tunnel.
The court heard how disabled Zaman was the leader of a cult-like group of women, which included Kay Rayworth, Ann Corbett and Myra Wood.
Zaman and Corbett attacked Jimmy, while Rayworth and Wood stood by and did nothing to help.
After a trial in 2017 serial liar Zaman, then 43, was convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 33 years behind bars. Corbett, then 26, was also found guilty of murder and given a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years.
Rayworth, 56, and 50-year-old Wood, were cleared of the killing but convicted of for causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult and perverting the course of justice. Both were jailed for 12 years.
DHRs are carried out when someone aged 16 or over dies as the result of the actions of a partner or family member.
These multi-agency reviews aim to establish what lessons can be learned from these tragedies in a bid to prevent future deaths and improve safeguarding.
North Tyneside Council is the lead agency on the DHR into Jimmy's death and Eddie was invited into the authority's offices today.
During a meeting lasting several hours he learned the contents of the draft report, which Eddie has been waiting six years to see.
Jacqui Old, Director of Children’s and Adults services and a spokesperson for the North Tyneside Community Safety Partnership, said: “We offer our deepest condolences to the family of Jimmy Prout.
“We appreciate that they have had questions they’d like answering and we know it’s been a difficult wait for them. We have always attempted to maintain contact with them throughout the process to keep them informed.
“The review and draft report has taken time to complete due to it being such a complex incident, involving a number of perpetrators, and the involvement of a number of agencies.
“The draft report is now complete, and the draft findings have been discussed with Jimmy’s family, so they have the opportunity to contribute further to the report and explain specific details they would like clarity on.
“We would stress that at this stage the report is not finalised and is subject to amendment following feedback from the Home Office’s Quality Assurance Panel, as part of the recognised assurance process for Domestic Homicide Reviews.
“We will continue to keep the family informed of progress as the Home Office consider the draft report for publication.”
