A MAN jailed for life for murder after beating an innocent bystander to death is to challenge his conviction.

Jason Bolger, now 32, was caged in May 1999 for the frenzied killing of pub customer Gary Edwards at the Village Inn in South Ockendon.

His brother Brian Bolger was ordered into psychiatric care indefinitely after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

But now Jason Bolger, formerly of Celandine Close, South Ockendon has applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to have his case reviewed.

The commission's Cathy Lee said: "We have received an application from Jason Bolger to review his conviction.

"It has been given to a case review manager to look at and they will decide whether it should be referred back to the appeal court."

During the trial at Chelmsford Crown Court jurors heard how the Bolger brothers had been drinking at the pub on March 11, 1998, when they launched the vicious attack of fellow drinker 40-year-old Gary Edwards.

Mr Edwards was felled by a single punch before a bar stool was smashed over his head.

He was also slashed with broken bottles and ashtrays before he was dragged into the street where he was kicked, punched and stamped on.

Mr Edwards received eight broken ribs and his jaw was broken in four places.

James Buckingham was on his way to work when he saw the attack in the street. When he went to help he received a blow to the head which left him with a hole the size of a golf ball in his skull.

Sentencing the pair at the time Mr Justice Gage called their attack "extraordinarily ferocious and lethal" and said it was of "unparalleled ferocity".

Murder charges brought against a third man, Craig Wicks of Broxburn Drive, South Ockendon, were formally discharged by the court.