Two men from Croydon have been jailed for beating a homeless man to death in Brixton.

The body of Mauricio Nascimento, 44, was found in Rush Common on July 12, 2021.

Mauricio suffered extensive injuries from a brutal attack, including a broken nose, fractured skull, and neck and almost all of his ribs were broken.

The two appeared in custody at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, January 25 to be sentenced for his murder.

Arturas Ptickinas, 29, of Norwood High Street, SE27 was sentenced to 21 years for murder and three months for burglary - the sentences are to run concurrently.

Ernestas Aleksandrovas, 30, of Norwood High Street, SE27 was sentenced to 19 years and six months for murder and 12 months imprisonment for perverting the course of justice - the sentences are to run concurrently.

Police launched a murder investigation at the time of the crime but police say there were no obvious leads as to who was responsible for the attack.

Forensic tests carried out on a belt found left at the scene, and on Maurice's unbuttoned shirt, revealed full DNA matches to Arturas Ptickinas.

Police say the chances of it coming from anyone else were rated as “one in a billion” - the highest match on the scientific scale.

Ptickinas’s DNA was also matched to Maurice's wrists, implying he had been involved in dragging his body into bushes.

The tests also located DNA on other parts of Maurice's body, including his face and on his neck, where he had been hit by his attackers.

However, this was not enough to produce a clear enough result.

A more specialist test was then carried out, and it showed DNA from three people - Mauricio, Arturas and a third man, Ernestas Aleksandrovas, 29, of Norwood High Street.

Police say that the DNA matches and CCTV footage which tracked the pair leaving their home and heading towards Rush Common helped build the case against Ptickinas and Aleksandrovas.

Aleksandrovas was also linked to the crime scene as his phone was used at 3.16am on the night of the murder and it connected to a telephone mast next to Rush Common.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “This case has clearly highlighted what can be achieved when detective ability and high level scientific expertise are combined.

“Maurice suffered a needless, brutal death and I am very happy that these two violent individuals will now spend a considerable number of years away from law abiding people.

“I hope that the substantial sentences handed down bring a measure of comfort to Maurice’s family and loved ones.”