Five people were yesterday found guilty of killing a “vulnerable and gullible” 21-year-old who was beaten to death.

Nicholas Shelbourne, 27, Mark Jackson, 21, Daryll Jones, 17 and Jordan O’Rouke, 17, were convicted at Nottingham Crown Court in the UK of the murder of Shaun Rossington.

A 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Asperger’s sufferer Mr Rossington was found on grassland in Searby Road, Lincoln, in the early hours of June 3. He had been kicked, cut and stamped on and was found face down on the ground just after 4 a.m.

During the trial the prosecution said he had gone to the spot to meet the 14-year-old girl, who was 13 at the time.

Yesterday the girl was cleared of murder and manslaughter but convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Jackson, the 17-year-old girl and the 14-year-old girl were convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, while Mr Shelbourne, Mr Jones, and Mr O’Rouke pleaded guilty.

The court heard Mr Rossington went to meet the 14-year-old girl on the promise of a sex act in exchange for £100. But he was then set upon by Mr Jones, Mr O’Rouke, Mr Shelbourne and Mr Jackson and left for dead on the grassland.

The group then conspired to cover up the murder. They planted Mr Rossington’s shoes in the road to make it look like a car crash.

Mr Jackson and the 17-year-old girl returned to the scene, calling emergency services and claiming they had just found the body. The court heard they all told officers different stories in interview, raising suspicions about their involvement.

Speaking after the verdicts were returned yesterday, Mr Rossington’s brother Chris, 25, said: “Our family has been totally devastated by what these people did to Shaun.

“They are beneath contempt and they deserve to go to prison for a very long time.

“What they did was disgusting and the way they tried to lie and deceive the police afterwards just shows the type of people they are.

“Throughout the trial a number of things were said or implied about Shaun that were totally unfounded and extremely upsetting for our family.

“It is important for us that Shaun is remembered as the man he was; a loving, gentle and generous person, who cared deeply for his family and his partner and who had so much to look forward to in life.”