THREE men have been found guilty of the brutal killing of Michael Phillips.
The 39-year-old was violently attacked in his Hartlepool home by a gang of vigilantes who believed he had burgled the home of one of his daughters and stole her car.
Beaten with a knuckleduster and coches, Mr Phillips suffered horrific injuries during the attack.
Neil Elliott, the boss of recycling firm Niramax, was at the centre of the maelstrom of violence after using Facebook to rally friends to find the people responsible for the burglary at his daughter's home.
Today, the 44-year-old, of Briarfields Close, Hartlepool, has been found guilty of manslaughter following the trial, at Teesside Crown Court.
His co-accused Lee Darby, 32, of Ridley Court, Hartlepool, was found guilty of murder for his part in the devastating violence.
Anthony Small was also found guilty of manslaughter after he managed to persuade the victim and his friend to open their front door of the house on Rydal Street ahead of the violence.
Gary Jackson, 31, of The Darlings; John Musgrave, 54, and Sean Musgrave, 30, both of Wordsworth Avenue; and Craig Thorpe, 36, of Young Street; were cleared of all charges.
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