Man who shot drug-stealing burglar jailed for life

A man who shot dead a burglar who was trying to steal from his cannabis farm has been jailed for life with a minimum of 27 years.

Adrian Frost used a sawn-off shotgun to kill Connor Batty, 26, after he and two accomplices tried to break into Frost's property on Barnsley Road in Hemsworth last September.

Frost then took pictures of the victim's body and was seen joking before eventually calling 999 and later claiming he acted in self defence.

Frost, 61, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court after he was previously found guilty of murder. He was also sentenced for a number of firearms and drugs offences, with those terms running concurrently.

The victim and two other men arrived at Frost's home at about 21:30 BST on 11 September 2025 with the intention of stealing his "crop" to sell on, the court heard.

The trio were equipped with gloves, masks, a pickaxe handle and an imitation handgun and were captured "in a discussion" on CCTV with Frost before the shooting took place.

The court heard Frost refused to give the three men access to his cannabis crop and went back inside and locked the door before retrieving his illegal gun from his "arsenal of weapons".

It was later found he also kept machetes, a Samurai sword, a butterfly knife and knuckledusters in various locations around his house, including in a sheath on his headboard.

Frost was said to have then laid in wait for the men and "pointed the gun through the banister spindles" before shooting Batty in the chest from less than 1.4m (4.5ft) away.

After Batty collapsed Frost rang his sibling and quipped that the 26-year-old looked "dead as a post" before jokingly asking him if he wanted an aspirin, the court heard.

Frost then called emergency services saying he had shot an intruder and Batty was pronounced dead at the scene.

He initially claimed he had slipped on the stairs with the gun but later changed his tactic to that of self defence once a firearms expert had ascertained how Batty was shot.

Recorder of Leeds Guy Kearl KC told Frost that while he did not go out "looking for trouble" that night, "trouble found him".

He also said Frost could have run away, called the police, fired a warning shot or even aimed somewhere else on Batty's body.

"You didn't shoot his arms or legs, but his chest where he was most vulnerable. You then failed to assist when he was dying and made fun of his body."

"There was a clear lack of concern," he added.

In a victim impact statement, Batty's partner Megan Wilks said he had become a father in 2024 and wanted his son to have a better start in life than he had.

She said life was now "incredibly difficult" without him and she often felt "lonely, numb, frightened and lost".

Wilks described her partner of seven years as "silly and daft" and said the events leading up to his murder were not that of the man she "knew and loved".

She added: "I don't see my future anymore."

Batty's sister Roxanne Flynn said in her own impact statement that her younger brother was "flawed" but he was "more than the bad decisions he made".

She also noted Batty's "incredibly difficult upbringing" and told Frost that while she did not excuse her brother's choices, the defendant chose the "most lethal" retaliation possible.

"Neither of you had made good choices and now Connor is dead," she added.

Meanwhile Batty's accomplices have already been sentenced after admitting their involvement in the incident.

Lewis Bromley, 26, of no fixed abode and Dylan Kelly, 24, of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary, possession of an imitation firearm while committing burglary, and possession of an offensive weapon.

Bromley was jailed for four years and six months while Kelly was given a sentence of four years and four months.

A third man - Connor Turner - who was not present at the burglary, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and possession of an offensive weapon.

The 29-year-old, of Schofield Road in Darfield, Barnsley, was jailed for three years.

Passing sentence Recorder Kearl told Frost his crime was "particularly serious" as it involved illegal firearms and the discovery of more than 500 cartridges - so using violence to "defend his crop" was customary for him.

"The consequences of your actions have been devastating for the victim's family," he added.

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