A man has been convicted of the murder of David McKenna whose body was found following a fire at his home in Barnet.

Reece Jones, 26 (6.07.90), of West Hendon Broadway, NW9 was found guilty of murder today, Wednesday, 30 November, at the Old Bailey.

He will be sentenced at the same court on Thursday, 1 December.

Police were called at 05:56hrs on 12 October 2015 to reports of a fire at a ground floor flat in Finch Close in Barnet.
Officers, the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade attended and found an unresponsive man trapped inside. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 06:51hrs.
The man – who lived at the address – was identified as 55-year-old David McKenna.

A post-mortem examination held at Northwick Park Hospital Mortuary on 13 October 2015 gave the cause of death as extensive head injuries.

CCTV footage obtained by detectives showed Jones walking in the direction of Mr McKenna’s address at around 02:05hrs. A forensic examination of the scene of the attack, the lounge of David’s home, found DNA on rolled up cigarette butts left on a coffee table. This was later found to match Jones.

He was arrested on Sunday, 26 June and charged three days later with David’s murder.

Detective Inspector Simon Pickford, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “This was a particularly brutal attack on a vulnerable and disabled man.
“Mr McKenna was beaten repeatedly around the head with a golf club and then his house was set on fire. My thoughts remain with David’s family at this time.”