Waste disposal boss faces life in jail after being convicted of shooting dead Kinky Boots star's brother and his friend in bid to wipe out £200,000 debt and continue his lavish lifestyle

A waste disposal boss face life in jail after being convicted of shooting dead a Kinky Boots star's brother and his friend in a bid to wipe out a £200,000 debt and continue his lavish lifestyle.

Will Henry - brother of performer Matt Henry - and Brian McIntosh were found dead after police were called to a car park at the Albion Works off Moor Street in Brierley Hill, Dudley, West Midlands, on September 30 last year.  

Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court deliberated over two days before convicting 33-year-old Jonathan Houseman, formerly of Quarry Park Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, of murdering both victims.

Co-defendant Richard Avery, also 33 and of no fixed address, was cleared of murder but convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Avery's partner, 33-year-old Francesca Scott, was acquitted of perverting the course of justice.

Will Henry (pictured right), 31, and his best friend and business partner Brian McIntosh , 29, were discovered after police were called to a car park at the Albion Works off Moor Street in Brierley Hill, Dudley, West Midlands, on September 30 last year

Jonathan Houseman (pictured above), 33, was today convicted of murdering both victims

At the start of the trial, prosecutors revealed that Mr McIntosh, 29, was shot four times to the left side of his face and neck, causing 'very rapid' death.

Mr Henry, 31, in the front passenger seat, was shot twice, including just behind his right ear, damaging the brain stem 'which would have resulted in near instantaneous death'.

Jurors heard CCTV showed Houseman getting out of the victims' Range Rover after the killings, moving a car he used to leave the murder scene and covering his face from a security camera, which was 'all part of the planning and preparation for the shooting'.

Prosecutor Michael Burrows QC told the opening of the trial that Houseman had previous dealings with the victims, who worked together in waste clearance.

An aerial view of the industrial estate where Mr Henry and Mr McIntosh were discovered by police at Brierley Hill in the West Midlands

Houseman, who also worked in waste disposal, had a site in the Mucklow Hill area of Halesowen containing about 1,000 tons of waste, which he had hired Mr McIntosh and Mr Henry to clear.

Mr Burrows told the court: 'However, he didn't pay them for the work they did. At one point in 2019, Jonathan Houseman owed Brian McIntosh and Will Henry around £200,000.'

Commenting on the case, Detective Inspector Wes Martin, who led the investigation, said: 'These were killings motivated pure and simply by greed and Houseman's selfish desire to wipe out debts and maintain a lavish lifestyle he could ill afford.

'We believe Houseman arranged this meeting to ambush and ultimately execute Mr McIntosh and Mr Henry - both of whom were young, family men, who were well loved by their families and had their whole lives ahead of them.

West End star Matt Henry (far left) with his brother Will Henry (second left, circled), who was shot dead in a Range Rover on an industrial estate

'There has been absolutely no remorse from the two men on trial, and they have tried to distance themselves from these horrific killings at every step of the way.

'It was carried out as cold-blooded execution which was completely unjustified.

'Our thoughts are with the families of Mr McIntosh and Mr Henry today, as they have been throughout this investigation.'

Houseman and Avery were remanded in custody and will be sentenced later.