Two brothers who carried out a sustained and vicious attack on the man dating their sister are facing life sentences for murder.

Ross Keenan, 39, was stabbed, slashed and beaten to death by John and David Kinsella.

The brothers, who were armed with a carving knife, meat cleaver and metal bar, inflicted more than 70 wounds on their victim, who was in a relationship with their sister Kelly.

Yesterday John Kinsella, 25, was found guilty of murder by a majority of ten to two by a jury at Bradford Crown Court after a two-week trial.

The Honorary Recorder of Bradford, Judge Stephen Gullick, told him he would be sentenced with his 23-year-old brother, who had pleaded guilty to murder, in the next two or three weeks.

Judge Gullick said: “The sentence for murder is one of life imprisonment. I will have to determine the minimum term you will have to serve.”

Prosecutor Nicholas Campbell QC had told the trial the brothers, who had been drinking vodka, took the weapons to the house where Mr Keenan was living, in Holme Top Lane, Little Horton, Bradford, in December last year and killed him in the front room.

The Kinsellas, who lived in the same street, left their victim bleeding to death while they went to the car park at St Luke’s Hospital and set fire to items of clothing that could have incriminated them.

John Kinsella denied involvement in the murder and told the jury he found his brother, who was known as Micky, scuffling with Mr Keenan. He claimed he tried to pull them apart, but admitted punching Mr Keenan in the face. He denied using any bladed implements.

Kinsella held his head in his hands after the jury of seven men and five women returned its guilty verdict after more than 11 hours of deliberation.

His mother Janet, who had given evidence for the prosecution during the trial, looked away in the public gallery as the jury foreman read out the guilty verdict. She left the court building in tears.

Kinsella was remanded in custody until the sentencing hearing.

After the case, Detective Sergeant Paul Whiteley, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, welcomed the guilty verdict.

He said: “These men have taken a life in what was a particularly prolonged, sustained and vicious attack which left Ross Keenan with numerous injuries from which he died.”

Det Sgt Whiteley added: “This has been a complex and difficult case for the jury, which had to take on board a lot of detailed evidence.

“I want to thank the officers and police staff for their hard work and dedication on this inquiry, as well as the prosecution team Nicholas Campbell QC and Judith Naylor. Our thoughts are now with the family of the victim.”

At the time of the murder Mr Keenan was in a relationship with the Kinsellas’ sister Kelly and his daughter, Tifani Womersley, was in a relationship with Micky Kinsella.

The court heard Tifani had become pregnant but Mr Keenan “was not thrilled about the news” and there was friction between Tifani and Micky.

Mr Keenan’s body was found by his brother, with whom he was living.

The court was told that Micky Kinsella’s mental health was unstable and he had been discharged from Lynfield Mount Hospital a short time before the murder.

John Kinsella had been released from prison on licence a few weeks before Mr Keenan’s death.