Ex-boxer sentenced to life for ‘grotesque’ killing of ‘much-loved son’

A murderer has been jailed for life after a “savage” and “grotesque” attack at a flat in Weston-super-Mare. Adam Bowers, a former boxer, was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison after killing Nick Bryan.

Bowers had been drinking with two women and Mr Bryan at an address in Rydal Road when an argument broke out. He then launched a “violent” attack on Mr Bryan, punching and kicking him, Avon and Somerset Police said.

Bristol Crown Court was told Bowers confessed to a fellow inmate in 2022, while serving a sentence for an unrelated offence, that he had repeatedly punched Mr Bryan and used a hammer, the force said. Judge Martin Picton said the confession amounted to a “bragging” of what he had done and he had “shown no remorse”, he added.

READ MORE: Ex-boxer pleads guilty to murder after ‘sustained’ attack on ‘gentle soul’

Mr Bryan, 46, who grew up in Leicestershire, suffered “significant” head injuries in the attack on the evening of November 15, 2021. Nick’s sister Holly Bryan said her brother’s “hysterical laughter” she was something associated with him.

She said: “I would definitely like him to be remembered for how wonderful she was.” She said Nick loves anything to do with Wonder Woman, so much so that he was once bought a themed blanket for Christmas.

In his honor, she wore a Wonder Woman costume to his funeral and graduation, the force said. Nick’s mother Anne Bryan said of her son: “He was funny, he was kind, he was smart and a bit of a daredevil.

“He did bungee jumping and white water rafting; he liked that kind of thing, swimming in the sea when it was cold.” Judge Picton said Mr Bryan was a “gentle soul” loved by family and friends, Avon and Somerset Police added.

Bowers had been drinking with two women at an address in November 2021 when the two women decided to go out to a shop in Weston-super-Mare to get more alcohol. There they met Mr Bryan, who was in the shop at the same time, who they invited back into the flat, the force said.

However, after a few hours together, an argument ensued and Bowers, 35, attacked Mr Bryan before running off. Judge Picton said Bowers had “no reason” to attack Mr Bryan or continue to attack “in a sustained and savage manner”, adding that the level of violence was “grotesque”.

Mr Bryan was taken to hospital but died on November 17, 2021. That’s when a murder investigation began and led to Bowers being charged in November 2023, Avon and Somerset police said.

He pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Bryan in February and was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday (May 31). Detective Chief Inspector Roger Doxsey, of Avon and Somerset Police’s Major Crime Squad, said: “It is clear that Nick was a much-loved son and brother who brought laughter to the lives of those close to him. get close

“He died in November 2021 and we recognize that it has been a long time since then. While we were always confident that Bowers was the man responsible, this was a complex investigation to ensure we obtained a conviction for murder.

“During that time we didn’t always have all the answers Nick’s family would have liked, so I want to thank them for their patience and understanding. In the end, we are relieved and pleased that this investigation ended with a life sentence. Bowers is a dangerous man who is behind bars now and will be for many years to come.”

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