POLICE IN NORTHERN Ireland have welcomed the conviction of a Co Antrim man for the “brutal and totally senseless” murder of Robert Flowerday last year. 

The body of Flowerday (64) was found in his home at Mill Road in Crumlin, Co Antrim on Sunday, 28 January. 

Police were called to his home after a member of the public raised concerns about him. When officers arrived at Flowerday’s home they discovered his body inside. 

Michael Gerard Owens (35), from Glenavy, was arrested on 30 January and subsequently charged. He pleaded guilty to the murder of Flowerday at Belfast Crown Court on 3 October this year. 

Owens also admitted one charge of burgling Flowerday’s home on an unknown date between 27 and 30 January 2018. 

Today, Owens was told he would serve a minimum of 16 years and 6 months in jail. 

“The murder of 64-year-old retired schoolteacher Robert Flowerday was brutal and totally senseless,” Detective Inspector Michelle Griffin said. 

“Robert was a man of faith who dedicated his life to educating children of both primary and secondary age.” 

Describing the fatal attack, Griffin said that Flowerday was “beaten viciously with a hammer, poker and an axe over a prolonged period”. 

“Owens not only subjected Robert to a horrendous death, he then tried to start a fire to hide his horrific crime. A crime he carried out solely for the purpose of stealing money to feed his drugs and alcohol habit,” Griffin said. 

Griffin thanked the member of the public who, on hearing the PSNI’s appeal, phoned police to name Michael Owens as the suspect. 

She also thanked Flowerday’s family “for their dignity and patience throughout this investigation”. 

“I know today’s sentencing will not take away their loss or pain but I hope it will allow them to start to grieve properly,” she said. 

In a statement, Flowerday’s brother Adam said:

Robert’s house which was once the happy, warm and welcoming family home is a cold, desolate shell that presents a constant reminder of the heinous crime, the tragedy, the cruelty, the torture and the pain.

We would like to thank those who came forward with information to make today’s verdict possible and we must give a huge thank you to the PSNI, PPS and especially our family liaison officers, Gill and Jon, who have supported us throughout, talking us through the various stages and keeping us informed.

Our family will never be the same; it has drained each of us of the zest for life, the stress has taken its toll on us all and has contributed to and exacerbated the health of our other two brothers.

“Hopefully, after today we can begin our journey back to some sort of normality.”