Rotherham man murdered cousin on wasteland, jury told
The pair pitched up on the wasteland the night before with a two-man tent, sleeping bags and mattresses
A man is on trial for allegedly murdering his cousin while camping on wasteland near a Rotherham sewage plant.
Garry Claydon, aged 54, died in hospital after he was found unresponsive at an impromptu campsite behind warehouses off Waddington Way, Parkgate, on the morning of June 1, 2025.
He had been camping with his cousin, Wayne White, of Shakespeare Road, Rotherham, who called 999 at 6.40am that day saying Garry was not breathing.
But at Sheffield Crown Court this week (November 10), 55-year-old White stands accused of assaulting his cousin in an attack which allegedly broke his ribs and fatally punctured his lung.
Prosecutor Mr Nicholas Worsley KC told a jury how the pair pitched up on the wasteland the night before with a two-man tent, sleeping bags and mattresses.
The men were seen on CCTV shortly after midnight on June 1 buying cheeseburgers from a nearby McDonald’s.
The prosecution’s case is the two cousins returned to their campsite through a hole in a fence and did not leave the area again for six hours.
However, in that time, it is alleged White assaulted Garry.
At 6.40am, White reportedly called 999 and directed paramedics to the hole in the fence where Garry was lying unresponsive.
Tragically, nothing could be done and the 54-year-old died at the scene.
White denies assaulting his cousin, and reportedly told dispatchers Garry “got beaten up” in the night by another party after leaving the campsite and returning later.
At court on Wednesday, the jury heard evidence and saw bodyworn camera footage from South Yorkshire Police officer PC Ryan Chapman, who walked the perimeter of the wasteland.
The officer said the site was surrounded by thick shrubbery and overgrown nettles, along with barbed wire in places.
Mr Worsley says this would make it “extremely difficult” for Garry to leave the campsite alone at night, as White reportedly claims.
The trial continues.