Killed in 2019: Who has been brought to justice?

The number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales in 2017-18 was the highest since records began. By 2019 youth violence was being called a "national emergency" with MPs calling on the government to "get a grip" on the crisis in the wake of a string of teenagers being killed.

To find out more about what was going on behind the headlines the BBC started to track the killings across the UK in 2019, looking at the lives of the people affected.

While the suggestion was that gang violence and cuts to police numbers was the problem, the BBC project highlighted a far more complicated picture.

We reported on the

first 100 victims of fatal stabbings in 2019 which showed those killed were mostly young and male.

But we also saw a rise in "invisible victims of knife crime" - those killed in incidents of domestic violence and highlighted how the excessive use of drug and alcohol was a major factor in attacks across the UK.

The project has now examined the first 100 killings. This includes fatal stabbings, as well as deaths caused by shooting, assault and smothering.

We've identified 100 people held legally responsible for most of the deaths. In some cases, more than one killer was involved.

The age range of killers is wide but more than a quarter were teenagers - 14 of them were children (under 18).

Evidence in their trials revealed a pattern of abuse or neglect, mental health problems and limited educational attainment in the background of the young killers.

The circumstances of each killing is varied but there are also some strikingly common themes. Many were influenced by drugs and alcohol and some impacted with serious mental health problems.

But although such cases naturally grab the headlines, the violence generated by the market in illicit drugs doesn't tell the whole story.

From the dozens of murder trials we followed across the country, the killings were actually more likely to be the result of rows settled under the influence of drink and drugs rather than turf wars.

Most of the killers had been in trouble with the law before. Some were prolific offenders.

Over a fifth of the killers had links to street gangs, illustrating why police and government prioritise tackling this to drive down serious violence. But domestic killings also feature prominently.

Most of the 100 killings (66) led to criminal convictions, others went to inquests where a suspect had taken their own life after carrying out a homicide.

Some trials are waiting to be heard, having been delayed by Covid-19. The 13 cases with no charges include those that went to inquests and seven which are currently unsolved.

By January this year our research found the number of people killed across the UK actually fell in 2019 for the first time in five years.

It remains unclear what impact the pandemic will have on levels of violent crime in the UK but since lockdown restrictions began charities say there has been a rise in the number of people seeking help for domestic abuse and fears that higher rates of unemployment, homelessness and trauma could lead to an increase in violence, particularly among vulnerable young people.

100 homicides: the killers

You can filter the list using the categories below.

100 killers in total

• Michael Rolle fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend Charlotte Huggins, 33, hours after she had celebrated the start of the new year.

  Judge Heather Norton jailed him for a minimum of 20 years and told him he’d acted in a “ jealous rage no doubt fuelled by alcohol and drugs.”

  The Old Bailey heard that Rolle, 34, had previous convictions and cautions for violence and drugs.

• Ashey Martin started a house fire in which he and two others died.

  An inquest heard that had he survived, he would have been charged with the murders of Jay Edmunds and Billy Hicks.

  Ms Edmunds, 27, had broken up with Martin four days earlier and had started a new relationship with Mr Hicks, 24.

  The inquest heard that Martin, 32, quit his job, then hired a van and filled a jerry can with 17 litres of petrol. He entered Ms Edmund’s house in the early hours of New Year’s Day where he stabbed Mr Hicks in the chest and started a fire.

• Haroon Akram, 25, admitted killing a security guard at a private New Year’s Day party in London’s West End.

  Tudor Simionov, 33, was fatally stabbed outside a multimillion-pound Mayfair townhouse.

  Akram, Adam Khalil, 20, and Nor Hamada, 24 all pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Akram was jailed for 6 years and nine months.

  The Old Bailey was told the fatal blow is thought to have been inflicted by Ossama Hamed, 26, from Hillingdon, who fled the country a day after the killing.

• Adam Khalil, 20, admitted killing a security guard at a private New Year’s Day party in London’s West End.

  Tudor Simionov, 33, was fatally stabbed outside a multi-million pound Mayfair townhouse.

  Khalil, Haroon Akram, 25, and Nor Hamada, 24 all pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Khalil was jailed for 11 years. The judge said he played a "major role”, had been armed with a knife and was subject to a community order at the time.

  The Old Bailey was told the fatal blow is thought to have been inflicted by Ossama Hamed, 26, from Hillingdon, but he remains at large having fled the country a day after the killing.

• Nor Hamada, 24 admitted killing a security guard at a private New Year’s Day party in London’s West End.

  Tudor Simionov, 33, was fatally stabbed outside a multi-million pound Mayfair townhouse.

  Hamada, Adam Khalil, 20 and Haroon Akram, 25, all pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Hamada was jailed for 7 years.

  The Old Bailey was told the fatal blow is thought to have been inflicted by Ossama Hamed, 26, from Hillingdon, but he remains at large having fled the country a day after the killing.

• Michael McConville, 38, was convicted of the murder of fellow Salvation Army hostel resident David Capseed, 57, in January 2019.

  Judge Andrew Menary QC said McConville had struggled with the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia and was desperate for drugs.

  He killed Mr Capseed because he believed he had cheated him.

  McConville had 37 previous convictions for various violent and drug offences. He was jailed for life with a minimum of 16-and-a-half years.

• Darren Pencille was convicted of murdering Lee Pomeroy, who he stabbed 18 times after a row on board a train from Guildford to London Waterloo.

  He was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 28 years.

  Pencille, 36, has borderline learning disabilities, an IQ ranked in the lowest 1% of the population and paranoid schizophrenia.

  A jury at the Old Bailey heard how he hadn’t dealt with the loss of his stillborn son Romeo in 2018. Pencille had a previous conviction for stabbing a flatmate in the neck over a disagreement about cigarette papers.

• Khalid Ashraf, 32, admitted choking his sister, Sarah Ashraf, 35, to death because he said he had been told to by the devil and his Buddhist leader.

  The Old Bailey heard the former auditor became depressed when he learned he had HIV in 2011.

  He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and detained under the Mental Health Act.

  He will only be released if he is deemed to be fit and no longer a risk to the public.

• Luc Barker was convicted of murdering his flatmate, Gavin Moon, following claims he and co-defendant Brian Goldsmith had stolen drugs belonging to the victim, who was a drug dealer.

  After stabbing Mr Moon with separate knives, the pair left him lying on the kitchen floor and emptied his pockets.

  Barker, 28, had suffered an earlier brain injury and had limited verbal comprehension, according to his lawyer.

  He was jailed for a minimum of 16 years.

• Brian Goldsmith was convicted of murdering Gavin Moon following claims that he and co-defendant Luc Barker had stolen drugs belonging to the victim, who was a drug dealer.

  After stabbing Mr Moon with separate knives, the pair left him lying on the kitchen floor and emptied his pockets.

  The court heard that Goldsmith, 47, owed money and had been drinking heavily.

  He later tried to cover his tracks as Northumbria Police launched a murder investigation. He was jailed for a minimum of 18 years.

• Ayoub Majdouline, a teenage drug dealer, was convicted of the murder of 14-year-old Jaden Moodie.

  The young victim was knocked off his moped and stabbed because he was in a rival gang, the Old Bailey was told.

  Majdouline, 18, was associated with the "Mali Boys" gang in east London and had a string of previous convictions, including drug offences and carrying knives in public places.

  In 2018 he was identified by the National Crime Agency as a victim of human trafficking. He was jailed for a minimum of 21 years.

• Mariusz Skiba stood trial alongside Dariusz Kackowski, accused of the murder of Przemyslaw Cierniak following a row over £1 in January 2019.

  The 32-year-old punched and kicked the victim, while his co-defendant delivered the fatal stab wounds.

  Skiba, a Polish national, was homeless and addicted to drugs at the time of the murder.

  He was jailed for a minimum of 14 years.

• Dariusz Kaczkowski repeatedly stabbed Przemyslaw Cierniak in a car park after the victim asked to borrow £1 in January 2019.

  Kaczkowski, a Polish father-of-two who moved to the UK in 2008 for work, was convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 23 years.

  He had five previous convictions for battery and one for possessing a bladed article in June 2016.

  Co-defendant Mariusz Skiba was jailed for a minimum of 14 years for his role in the murder.

• Jamal Sheik-Mohammed pleaded guilty to the manslaughter, by reason of diminished responsibility, of his friend and neighbour Bashir Abdullah, 32. The victim was found with stab wounds to the chest in Sheik-Mohammed’s flat.

  Half an hour before the attack Sheik-Mohammed, 51 visited a nearby police station over reports he had been threatening to kill people. A court heard he had stopped taking anti-psychotic medication because of the side effects.

  Sheik-Mohammed is now receiving mental health care and doctors are discussing a “care pathway” for him, a court heard.

  He was given a life sentence and told he must serve at least two years in prison. A domestic homicide review has been launched into the case.

• Jalal Uddin fatally stabbed his wife, Asma Begum, 31, more than 50 times in a row over his gambling addiction in January 2019.

  Uddin, 47, who was a chef at an Indian restaurant, took the family's food money and used it to place bets.

  The couple moved to the UK from Bangladesh in 2007 and had three children.

  Uddin, who regularly beat his wife during their marriage, was jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years.

• Ex-policeman Rodrigo Giraldo, 56, murdered his wife Margory Villegas at their home and buried her body in a shallow grave in woodland in January 2019.

  He then lied to police and his children, claiming Margory had gone missing.

  Giraldo, who moved to the UK from Colombia in 1999, killed Margory because she had ended their 17-year marriage, which had been marred by violence and threats to kill.

  On one occasion he held a gun to her head. He was jailed for a minimum of 19 years.

• Michael Strudwick, 33, shot his partner Christy Walsh, 40, in the face at point blank range with a shotgun before attempting to take his own life.

  A court heard that Strudwick was jealous of her relationship with her late partner.

  After pleading guilty to murder, Strudwick was jailed for a minimum of 26 years and 25 days.

• Shaun Sanders was given a hospital order after admitting to the manslaughter of Leanne Unsworth in Burnley, Lancashire.

  Sanders, 39, pleaded guilty on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

  Preston Crown Court heard he was a paranoid schizophrenic who was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the attack.

  Sanders had told his GP weeks before the killing that he feared his mental health was deteriorating and he would hurt someone, the court heard. During sentencing it was also revealed that Sanders, a former soldier, had three previous convictions for violence, including attacking a witness in a court case with a machete. He was told he would be detained for at least four years.

• Vernon Holmes stabbed his ex-partner Alison Hunt at the front door of her home in “a grotesque attempt” to assert his control over her, a court heard.

  Holmes, 48, met Ms Hunt through her father’s work and the pair had a relationship which broke down in September 2017.

  Weeks before being killed Ms Hunt started a relationship with another man which led Holmes to “jealousy”.

  He was jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years after being convicted of murder.

• Scott Gocoul was jailed for life with a minimum of 33 years after being convicted of the murder of Tom Bell, 21.

  Drug dealer Gocoul shot the promising boxer through the window of a Doncaster pub where nearly 70 customers were gathered.

  Gocoul, 30 and his co-defendant, Joseph Bennia, 28, sold crack cocaine and heroin in the town

  He admitted he didn’t like Mr Bell because of a threat to his girlfriend while he was in prison in 2016. The trial heard how Gocoul had “been behind bars for most of his adult life.”

• Joshua Bennia was jailed for 17 years after being convicted of the manslaughter of Tom Bell, 21.

  Co-defendant Scott Gocoul shot the promising boxer through the window of a Doncaster pub where nearly 70 customers were gathered.

  Bennia, 28, and Gocoul, 30, sold crack cocaine and heroin in the town.

  Gocoul admitted he didn’t like Mr Bell because of a threat to his girlfriend while he was in prison in 2016.

• A 16-year-old boy was convicted of the murder of Frank Sinclair, 61, after repeatedly stamping on his head in a "wholly unprovoked" attack.

  The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also found guilty of attacking another man an hour before the murder.

  A court heard the teenage killer came from a stable, loving family but he had a "propensity to resort to violence."

  He was jailed for at least 11 years.

• Adrisse Gray stabbed fellow prisoner Stephen O’Donnell after a row over a DVD player.

  The court heard Gray, 24, suffered from ADHD and has problems with impulsive behaviour.

  He had been in and out of custody since the age of 15 and was only 23 at the time he fatally stabbed Mr O’Donnell with an improvised weapon.

  The judge said Gray had numerous convictions including many burglaries. He was jailed for at least 18 years.

• Lee Sowerby, 45, fatally stabbed his mother, Mary Annie Sowerby, at her home in a “brutal and frenzied” attack.

  He was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for a minimum of 11 years.

  Sowerby had a history of mental health issues.

  Diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, he was the subject of two hospital orders by courts, including in 2008 when he was "millimetres away" from stabbing his brother's ex-girlfriend. Judge Mark Brown QC, said he doubted the killing of Mrs Sowerby would have happened if her son had not received an absolute discharge from a hospital order in 2012. He also said it was "astonishing" the defendant was not allowed to see a doctor six days before the killing, when his father Leonard took him to a community mental health facility.

• Christopher Taylor lured his former partner, Maggie Smythe, 29, to a late-night meeting and murdered her.

  He then dismembered and disposed of her body, displaying “a callousness and cold indifference which is almost impossible to comprehend,” according to the trial judge.

  Ms Smythe’s body has never been fully found.

  Taylor, 40, who worked as a builder, was jailed for a minimum of 24 years at Bolton Crown Court.

• Sixty-five-year-old Joy Liddell fatally stabbed her son Michael in a row that may have been fuelled by alcohol.

  An inquest heard that Mrs Liddell died in March 2019 from heart disease, four months before her murder trial was due to start.

  The court heard that tension between the pair had been escalating and that hours before his death Mr Liddell, 35, had made three visits to a shop to buy vodka.

  After stabbing him with a bread knife, Mrs Liddell went upstairs without speaking while her husband attempted CPR. The coroner recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing.

• Jordan Crowley was part of a gang of five men convicted of killing cannabis dealer Reece Ottaway, 23, in a robbery at his flat.

  They left their victim for dead after taking a £10 note and an iPhone.

  The court heard that the men viewed Mr Ottaway as a “rival drug dealer.”

  Crowley (also known as Kimpton), 20, was convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. Judge Adrienne Lucking told him: “You have embraced a violent criminal lifestyle centred around drugs and gangs.” She jailed him for a minimum of 34 years, which was reduced on appeal to 32 years.

• Alfie Drage was part of a gang of five men convicted of killing cannabis dealer Reece Ottaway, 23, in a robbery at his flat.

  They left their victim for dead after taking a £10 note and an iPhone.

  The court heard that the men viewed Mr Ottaway as a “rival drug dealer.”

  Drage, 20, was jailed for at least 28 years after he was convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. His sentence was reduced on appeal to 26 years.

• Cameron Higgs was part of a gang of five men convicted of killing cannabis dealer Reece Ottaway, 23, in a robbery at his flat.

  They left their victim for dead after taking a £10 note and an iPhone.

  The court heard that the men viewed Mr Ottaway as a “rival drug dealer.”

  Higgs, 19, was jailed for at least 28 years after being convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. His sentence was reduced on appeal to 26 years.

• Adison Smith was part of a gang of five men convicted of killing cannabis dealer Reece Ottaway, 23, in a robbery at his flat.

  They left their victim for dead after taking a £10 note and an iPhone.

  The court heard that the men viewed Mr Ottaway as a “rival drug dealer.”

  Judge Adrienne Lucking told Smith, 19: “You may be a follower rather than a leader, but you are an enthusiastic follower, happy to use serious and lethal violence.” She jailed him for at least 31 years following his conviction for murder and conspiracy to commit murder. His sentence was reduced on appeal to 29 years.

• Ethan Sterling was part of a gang of five men convicted of killing cannabis dealer Reece Ottaway, 23, in a robbery at his flat.

  They left their victim for dead after taking a £10 note and an iPhone.

  Sterling, 21, was convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery and jailed for 14 years.

  He had expressed “genuine remorse,” according to the victim’s mother, Charlotte Marshall.

• Matthew Page, 40, killed his mother by kicking, punching and striking her with a cabinet door.

  He had been angered by her drinking, a court heard.

  Following his arrest Page was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

  His condition meant he acted in "extremely restrictive" patterns and change caused him "distress", the court was told. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for six years. His lawyer said he was "shrivelled by guilt and remorse".

• Olegs Titovs plunged a knife into the heart of Jurijs Paramonovas, 46, after the Latvian friends became embroiled in a drunken argument at the house they shared.

  Shortly afterwards Titovs, 49, walked out as his victim lay dying on the floor.

  He was convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 18 years.

• Leslie Fraser repeatedly stabbed a disabled man in the neck after the pair had fallen out.

  A court heard that Fraser, 31, and Kevin Byrne, 45, were drug users who had had a disagreement in the weeks leading up to the attack.

  Fraser, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of murder and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years in prison.

  He had six previous convictions for assault.

• Benjamin Topping beat his girlfriend Rosie Darbyshire “beyond recognition” with a crowbar - hitting her 50 times in Preston in February 2019.

  Ms Darbyshire had just applied to the police under Clare’s Law to discover if Topping had any history of domestic abuse.

  Judge Mark Brown QC jailed the 25-year-old for life with a minimum of 20 years and said that Topping, came from “a supportive family” but had a “long history of alcohol and substance abuse”.

• Ricardo Godinho repeatedly stabbed his ex-wife Aliny Godinho as she walked to collect their children from school in Surrey in February 2019.

  Godinho, 41, a self-employed labourer with no previous convictions, had moved with his wife from Brazil to the UK in 2003.

  The couple had a turbulent relationship which stemmed from problems with money.

  Mrs Godhinho had made complaints to Surrey Police that Godinho was abusing her and wanted to kill her. He was jailed for life after being convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison.

• Thomas Brand killed his friend Anthony Richardson, 46, with a single punch thrown during a drunken row outside a pub.

  The victim was placed on life support but died the following day.

  The pair had become friends at the hostel where they had both been living.

  Brand, 45, was jailed for manslaughter for six years. A court heard he had previous convictions for various offences including conspiracy to murder in 2003. At the time of the attack on Mr Richardson, Brand was on licence following a robbery conviction in 2017.

• Alexander Lewis-Ranwell battered three elderly men with a shovel and a hammer in a "whirlwind of destruction" because he wrongly believed they were paedophiles.

  The former public schoolboy killed twins Richard and Roger Carter, 84, and Anthony Payne, 80, but was cleared of manslaughter by a jury on the grounds of insanity.

  Lewis-Ranwell, 27, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was twice detained and released by police in the 48 hours before the killings.

  Mrs Justice May said she would be making a hospital order with restrictions to ensure he "won't be allowed into the community until agencies are absolutely content it is OK for him to be released".

• Kevin Roach, along with two men and a 17-year-old, took part in the killing of a drug dealer in a turf war between rival gangs.

  He stabbed Wesley Adyinka, 37, in the chest.

  Mr Adyinka’s girlfriend Amanda Francis, 29, received a knife wound to her leg in a revenge attack for a robbery the previous day.

  Roach, 39, was convicted of murder, wounding Ms Francis and possessing an offensive weapon. He was involved in a London-based county lines gang known as "the Micky Line" and had previous convictions for violence, drug offences and robbery. Judge Adele Willams said he was “a ruthless, violent criminal with no conscience” who was “eaten up with anger over the loss of his drugs". She jailed him for a minimum of 27 years.

• Rodney Harris, along with two men and a 17-year-old, took part in the killing of a drug dealer in a turf war between rival gangs.

  Wesley Adyinka, 37, was stabbed in the chest.

  His girlfriend Amanda Francis, 29, received a knife wound to her leg in a revenge attack for a robbery that took place the previous day.

  Maidstone Crown Court heard that Harris, 37, was not a drug dealer, but was recruited to act as a getaway driver and “knew exactly what the trip involved.” He had previous convictions for violence, drug offences and robbery. He was convicted of manslaughter and wounding Ms Francis and was jailed for 18 years.

• Julian Grant, along with two men and a 17-year-old, took part in the killing of a drug dealer in a turf war between rival gangs.

  Wesley Adyinka, 37, was stabbed in the chest.

  His girlfriend Amanda Francis, 29, received a knife wound to her leg in a revenge attack for a robbery that took place the previous day.

  Maidstone Crown Court heard that Grant, 27, played a leading role and believed in his own “invincibility.” He was involved in a London-based county lines gang known as "the Micky Line" and had previous convictions for violence, drug offences and robbery. He was convicted of manslaughter and was jailed for 20 years.

• Teenager Alfie Caparn, along with three men, took part in the killing of a drug dealer in a turf war between rival gangs.

  Wesley Adyinka, 37, was stabbed in the chest.

  His girlfriend Amanda Francis, 29, received a knife wound to her leg in a revenge attack for a robbery that took place the previous day.

  Maidstone Crown Court heard that Caparn, 17, was “a somewhat vulnerable young man” who had been “groomed by Grant and Roach and became corrupted by them”. He was convicted of manslaughter and was jailed for 18 years. His sentence was reduced on appeal to 12 years.

• Nafees Hussain was convicted of the murder of John Methley, 39, who was killed in a "targeted and violent" street assault.

  Sheffield Crown Court heard that Hussain, 19, struck Mr Methley on the head with a weapon.

  Co-defendant Kyle Greenwood kicked and punched him.

  Hussain was jailed for a minimum of 19 years. Greenwood was sentenced to 11 years for manslaughter. A man and a woman were jailed for assisting an offender.

• Drug dealer Kyle Greenwood was convicted of the manslaughter of John Methley, 39, who was killed in a "targeted and violent" street assault.

  Sheffield Crown Court heard that co-defendant Nafees Hussain struck Mr Methley on the head with a weapon and Greenwood, 19, kicked and punched him.

  Hussain was found guilty of murder and jailed for a minimum of 19 years.

  Greenwood was sentenced to 11 years. A man and a woman were jailed for assisting an offender.

• Jahmel Riley fatally stabbed stranger Dennis Anderson in a shop over a row about some cigarette papers.

  Both men had been drinking.

  After going on the run, Riley handed himself in and was later convicted of murder.

  During his sentencing at the Old Bailey the court heard how Riley, 24, was a carer to his mother who had brought him up on her own. He had previous convictions with weapons - but not knives. Riley was jailed for a minimum of 23-and-a-half years. In a letter to the judge he said: “ I caused more pain than I can ever repair.”

• Edward Fitzgerald, 50, was recruited by his co-defendant Lee Hopkinson to beat up Raymond Dixon - a man who was wrongly accused of being a paedophile.

  He pleaded guilty to murder and was jailed for at least 22 years.

  Manchester Crown Court heard that Fitzgerald, who has a drug addiction, had dozens of previous convictions.

  These included inflicting GBH and one incident where he attacked a man with a machete.

• Lee Hopkinson recruited co-defendant Edward Fitzgerald, to beat up Raymond Dixon - a man who was wrongly accused of being a paedophile.

  Hopkinson, 30, befriended Mr Dixon and saw him as a "soft touch”.

  The pair took amphetamines together, but fell out over drug debts.

  Hopkinson, who has a string of previous convictions including for violence and robbery, was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 13 years.

• Teaching assistant Kileo Mbega admitted strangling his ex-partner Sarah Henshaw, 40.

  Afterwards he jumped from a bridge but survived with multiple fractures.

  A court heard he suffers from a depressive adjustment disorder, which began after his wife left him because he cheated on her. The judge told Mbega his years of selfish behaviour culminated in the "ultimate act of selfishness", adding: "You were not prepared to tolerate that reasonable challenge that Sarah Henshaw made to your behaviour and you killed her."

  He was jailed for a minimum of 15 years.

• Levi Whitmore-Wills was jailed for a minimum of seven years after admitting to stabbing Patrick Hill with a hunting knife in a row over a stolen PlayStation.

  The 18-year-old was placed into care at the age of eight when his mother had a bereavement and developed a drug addiction.

  Whitmore-Wills had several convictions for violent offences.

• William Blunsdon, 25, admitted fatally stabbing his grandmother Dorothy Bowyer.

  He was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 10 years and four months.

  Blunsdon had been living with his grandparents because his mother "could not cope.’

  He suffered from persistent delusional disorder. The court heard how he shot his grandparents’ dog with a crossbow and then repeatedly stabbed Mrs Bowyer in her bedroom. He then had two glasses of wine and smoked cannabis before the police came to arrest him. Blunsdon was described by the judge as a dangerous individual.

• Michael Bryant, 35 confessed half-way through his trial to killing his disabled neighbour Alan Wyatt, 68 whose body was found following a fire at his home. He had been bludgeoned to death after complaining about Bryant’s drug dealing.

  The court heard how the defendant was addicted to heroin and crack cocaine and had allowed his flat to be used as a base for local drug dealers and runners.

  Bryant was sentenced to life imprisonment and told he must serve at least 28 years.

• Louai Ali bought a "zombie knife" on Instagram and used it to stab student Sidali Mohamed outside the Joseph Chamberlain College in Birmingham in February 2019.

  Ali, 16, had been on bail for a separate stabbing incident only weeks before when he chased and stabbed Russell Molloy.

  Ali was a former amateur boxer with previous convictions for robbery, battery and possessing a knife.

  He was jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years after being convicted of Sidali’s murder and wounding Mr Molloy.

• Drug dealer Daniel Macleod, 36, was convicted of stabbing Abdul Deghayes, 22, during a drug deal.

  Mr Deghayes was the third of his parents' sons to be killed - two of his brothers died fighting in Syria. A fourth is still believed to be there.

  In the retrial Southwark Crown Court heard the exact motive for the killing, during which Mr Deghayes, was stabbed eight times, may never be known.

  Macleod will be sentenced later this year.

• Arthur Billings, 19, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Bradley Matcham after he admitted punching the 24-year-old near a McDonald’s in Northampton.

  Billings had “consumed a considerable amount of alcohol,” the judge said during his sentencing, adding that Billings had no previous convictions and had shown “genuine and total remorse” for what he had done.

  He was jailed for four years.

• Tashawn Brewster, 20, was convicted of the murder of drill music manager Bright Akinleye, 22, during a promotional video shoot in London.

  Mr Akinleye managed to stumble into a nearby hotel after being stabbed with a hunting knife but he collapsed and died in the foyer.

  The Old Bailey heard that it was a “targeted hit” resulting from an “online war of words” between Mr Akinleye and some other men.

  Brewster, who didn’t know the victim, was found guilty of murder and was jailed for a minimum of 21 years.

• Abdoulie Ceesay was part of a group that killed drill music manager Bright Akinleye, 22, during a promotional video shoot in London.

  The victim was stabbed with a hunting knife. He managed to stumble into a nearby hotel but collapsed and died in the foyer.

  Ceesay, 27, was friends with two brothers who were involved in an “online war of words” with Mr Akinleye.

  He was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey and was jailed for a minimum of 21 years.

• Oliver Petts was part of a group that killed drill music manager Bright Akinleye, 22, during a promotional video shoot in London.

  The victim was stabbed with a hunting knife. He managed to stumble into a nearby hotel but collapsed and died in the foyer.

  Petts, 29, pleaded guilty to manslaughter during the trial and was jailed for five years.

• Retired accountant Brian Wieland, 69, was found dead at his home with a head injury after emergency services were called to a house fire.

  An inquest found that he was likely to have been struck with a dumbbell.

  His carer Myrtella Williams, 51, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder but later died from burn injuries.

  The inquest heard she had been suffering from a “mental health episode” and concluded “there is no reasonable evidence of any other third party having inflicted the fatal injuries upon Mr Wieland".

• Demille Innis admitted fatally stabbing 16-year-old Abdullah Muhammad in a “horrific” and “unprovoked” attack in a Birmingham park.

  Amari Tulloch and Delero Walters were also convicted of manslaughter.

  The three had set upon Abdullah, intent on stealing his mobile phone.

  Judge Mark Wall QC said they showed “scant regard for life” and not a “modicum of remorse”. Innis, who was 19 at the time of the attack, was jailed for at least 29-and-a-half years.

• Amari Tulloch was convicted of the manslaughter of 16-year-old Abdullah Muhammad who was stabbed in a “horrific” and “unprovoked” attack in a Birmingham park.

  Demille Innis admitted murder part way through the trial and Delero Walters was convicted of manslaughter.

  The three had set upon Abdullah, intent on stealing his mobile phone.

  Judge Mark Wall QC said they showed “scant regard for life” and not a “modicum of remorse”. Warehouse worker Tulloch, who was 19 at the time of the killing, was sentenced to 23 years in a young offender institution.

• Dudley College student Delero Walters was convicted of the manslaughter of 16-year-old Abdullah Muhammad who was stabbed in a “horrific” and “unprovoked” attack in a Birmingham park.

  Demille Innis admitted murder part way through the trial and Amari Tulloch was also convicted of manslaughter.

  The three had set upon Abdullah, intent on stealing his mobile phone.

  Judge Mark Wall QC said they showed “scant regard for life” and not a “modicum of remorse”. He said each of the men had previous convictions and jailed Walters, who was 17 at the time of the killing, for 21 years.

• Keirin McMillan, 19, was convicted along with his younger brother and a 15-year-old boy of murdering a pensioner using tools.

  A court heard how they left 67-year-old Alasdair Forsyth with 80 injuries after attacking him with a screwdriver, hammer and a wrench during a robbery at his home.

  Judge Lord Uist described the crime as a scandal.

  McMillan, who had a previous conviction for violence, was sentenced to at least 18 years in prison, reduced on appeal to 16 years. The court heard his parents’ relationship “was characterised by violence, domestic abuse, substance misuse and poor mental health” and that he had had "insufficient care as an infant”.

• Aron McMillan was convicted along with his brother and another teenage boy of murdering a pensioner using tools.

  A court heard how they left 67-year-old Alasdair Forsyth with 80 injuries after attacking him with a screwdriver, hammer and a wrench during a robbery at his home.

  McMillan was 16 at the time. Judge Lord Uist described the crime as a scandal.

  McMillan had left care six months earlier and “had a history of violence”. He was sentenced to at least 17 years and three months, reduced on appeal to 13 years. The judge said it was in the public interest to reveal the names of the juvenile killers.

• Levi Hunter, also known as Levi Brown, was convicted along with two other teenagers of murdering a pensioner using tools.

  A court heard how they left 67-year-old Alasdair Forsyth with 80 injuries after attacking him with a screwdriver, hammer and a wrench during a robbery at his home.

  Hunter was 15 at time. Judge Lord Uist described the crime as a scandal.

  The court heard that Hunter had had a troubled family background and had shown a lack of empathy for the victim. He was jailed for at least 17 years, reduced on appeal to 13 years. The judge said it was in the public interest to reveal the names of the juvenile killers.

• Rishont Florent was convicted of fatally stabbing Glendon Spence, 23, in a south London youth club where young children were attending football training.

  Seventeen-year-old Florent was convicted of murder and jailed for at least 18 years.

  Judge Mark Dennis QC said the "exact motive for the attack is unknown” but it had "all the hallmarks for organised gang violence".

  The court heard that Florent was a “troubled teenager” with “low cognitive function” and a string of convictions for possessing knives. On the day of the murder, he breached a court order banning him from entering Lambeth.

• Teenagers Chibuzo Ukonu and Rishont Florent took part in the killing of Glendon Spence, 23, in a south London youth club where young children were attending football training.

  Eighteen-year-old Ukonu was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 14 years.

  Judge Mark Dennis QC said the "exact motive for the attack is unknown” but it had "all the hallmarks for organised gang violence".

  The court heard that Ukonu was the victim of “very severe domestic abuse” when he was young and was taken into care. He had two previous convictions for knife offences.

• Builder Ian Slater was part of a group of four people convicted of killing a drug dealer they wanted to evict from a flat.

  Courtney Valentine-Brown, 36, was stabbed in the leg and left to die.

  Slater, 49, had been asked by his partner Kelly King, the owner of the flat, to arrange the forced eviction.

  He was convicted of murder and told he must serve at least 26 years in prison.

• Alex Stephens was part of a group of four people convicted of killing a drug dealer they wanted to evict from a flat.

  Courtney Valentine-Brown, 36, was stabbed in the leg and left to die.

  Stephens, who inflicted the fatal knife wound, was convicted of murder and told he must serve at least 26 years in prison.

  A court heard he had a string of previous convictions including for drugs, weapons, robbery, assaults and threats to kill.

• Kelly King was part of a group of four people convicted of killing a drug dealer they wanted to evict from a flat.

  Courtney Valentine-Brown, 36, was stabbed in the leg and left to die.

  King, 30, was owner of the property in Southend-on-Sea.

  She recruited the help of her partner Ian Slater with the forced eviction. She was convicted of manslaughter following a trial at Basildon Crown Court and was jailed for nine years.

• Stuart Pearson was part of a group of four people convicted of killing a drug dealer they wanted to evict from a flat.

  Courtney Valentine-Brown, 36, was stabbed in the leg and left to die.

  Pearson, 43, was convicted of manslaughter following a trial at Basildon Crown Court and was jailed for nine years.

  The court heard he had previous convictions, including hitting someone with a knuckle duster.

• Former soldier Liam Donnelly admitted stabbing a man in a row over a £40 debt.

  A court heard how Philip McMillan had supplied Donnelly, 26, with diazepam tablets on credit, leading to a disagreement.

  Mr McMillan, 26, had sent threatening texts in an effort to recover the money he was owed.

  Donnelly stabbed Mr McMillan in the chest and later admitted culpable homicide under provocation. The court heard he was suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in the Army. He was jailed for eight years.

• Sheareem Cookhorn was one of five defendants convicted of the gangland murder of Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, in a hair salon in north London.

  The Old Bailey heard how the attack, in which another man was stabbed but survived, resembled a “Hollywood film".

  Cookhorn, 20, had previous convictions for robbery, burglary and possessing offensive weapons.

  He was jailed for at least 28 years for murder, attempted murder and possession of a firearm.

• Tryell Graham, 17, was one of five defendants convicted of the gangland murder of Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, in a hair salon in north London.

  The Old Bailey heard how the attack, in which another man was stabbed but survived, resembled a “Hollywood film".

  Graham, who performed as a rapper under the name of "Trills", was subject to a curfew at the time of the murder.

  The court heard he had four previous convictions for possessing knives and assault. He will serve at least 25 years for murder and attempted murder. Immediately after the sentencing violence erupted in the dock, as the killers fought with prison officers.

• Sixteen-year-old drill artist Jayden O’Neill-Crichlow was one of five defendants convicted of the gangland murder of Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, in a hair salon in north London.

  The Old Bailey heard how the attack, in which another man was stabbed but survived, resembled a “Hollywood film".

  O’Neill-Crichlow, who performed under the name of "SJ", had a £150,000 contract with a record label and had been on the books of a number of Premiership football clubs.

  He had no previous convictions but had received a reprimand for possession of a bladed article when he was 14. He was jailed for at least 21 years. Immediately after the sentencing violence erupted in the dock, as the killers fought with prison security guards.

• Sixteen-year-old Shane Lyons was one of five defendants convicted of the gangland murder of Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, in a hair salon in north London.

  The Old Bailey heard how the attack, in which another man was stabbed but survived, resembled a “Hollywood film".

  His defence lawyer argued there were “a number of missed opportunities by services to better support” the Lyons family when he was growng up.

  Lyons was jailed for at least 21 years. Immediately after the sentencing violence erupted in the dock, as the killers fought with prison security guards.

• Sixteen-year-old Ojay Hamilton was one of five defendants convicted of the gangland murder of Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, in a hair salon in north London.

  The Old Bailey heard how the attack, in which another man was stabbed but survived, resembled a “Hollywood film".

  The court heard that Hamilton has ADHD, poor intellectual functioning and was “vulnerable to being led by others".

  He had previous convictions for attempted shoplifting and possession of a knife, when he was 14. Hamilton was jailed for 21 years for murder and wounding with intent. Immediately after the sentencing, violence erupted in the dock, as the killers fought with prison security guards.

• Stephen Brocklehurst fatally stabbed his friend and landlord Phillip Rooney, 32, in the chest during a row about snooker.

  The pair started fighting after they returned home from the pub.

  Brocklehurst, 48, had previous convictions for assault and carrying a bladed weapon, a court heard.

  He was jailed for at least 12 years.

• Christopher Coakley punched and killed Anthony Welford in a pizza takeaway while he was on a trip to Whitby with his girlfriend.

  Coakley, 28, was described in court as “someone with alcohol problems” and had previous convictions for violence.

  In December 2017, he received a suspended prison sentence for battery and assaulting a police officer.

  He admitted to the manslaughter of Mr Welford and was jailed for eight years.

• Abdul Kapade, 49, repeatedly beat his friend Firoz Pargarkar with a hammer following a row over a £20,000 debt owed to Kapade for the sale of his house.

  The victim died a few weeks later in hospital.

  The court heard that Kapade had a gambling addiction and suffered from depression. However, a psychiatrist said that it was “mild and not severe enough to contribute to his behaviour”.

  He was convicted of murder and jailed for at least 14 years.

• Leighton Barrass was convicted of the murder of eighteen-year-old Connor Brown, who was stabbed in an alleyway on a night out with friends.

  Barrass started an argument by stealing money from one of Mr Brown’s friends.

  A court heard that drug dealer Barrass, 20, had been given a community order weeks earlier for a public order offence in Sunderland city centre.

  He also had previous convictions for being drunk and disorderly and criminal damage He was jailed for at least 20 years. Co-defendant Ally Gordon must serve three-and-a-half years for manslaughter.

• Ally Gordon was convicted of the manslaughter of teenager Connor Brown, who was stabbed in an alleyway on a night out with friends.

  A court heard that co-defendant Leighton Barrass repeatedly stabbed Mr Brown, 18, and Gordon kicked him as he lay on the ground.

  Gordon, 19, who had no previous convictions, was sentenced to three years and six months.

  Barrass will serve at least 20 years for murder.

• Jairo Sepulveda-Garcia was convicted of murder after he stabbed David Lopez-Fernandez six times in a row over a bad haircut.

  Sepulveda-Garcia, 36, had moved to London from Spain the previous year and was living in a block of flats which was being used as a communal squat by homeless people.

  Fellow Spanish national Mr Lopez-Fernandez had only been in London for three weeks.

• Karar Ali Karar, 30, admitted murdering Jodi Miller after she refused his sexual advances.

  He stabbed her more than 20 times “to teach her a lesson”, a court heard.

  Karar had fled to the UK seeking asylum from Sudan in 2015. His defence team said he "fell in with the wrong crowd, taking drugs and alcohol and these people took advantage of his mental health".

  But Judge Simon Kealey QC said there was no evidence to suggest that Karar was mentally unwell at the time of the killing. Karar was jailed for a minimum of 25 years. Karar died three weeks after the sentencing.

• Adam Muhammad killed fellow student Hazrat Umar, 18, with a "Rambo-style" knife in February 2019.

  Muhammad, who was just 16 at the time, was angry after Mr Umar had “insulted and slapped him” earlier that day.

  He stabbed his victim 15 times in a “frenzied” ambush.

  Muhammad, who had no previous convictions, was jailed for a minimum of 14 years after changing his plea on the fourth day of the trial. Judge Laird said Mr Umar’s life was “extinguished over a petty disagreement”.

• Dean Dagless, 48, fatally stabbed his friend of 20 years, St John Lewis, with a kitchen knife after being angered by a Facebook message the victim had posted about an ex-girlfriend.

  Dagless was convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 19 years.

  During sentencing, Judge Bayliss told him: "You returned to the scene of the murder to retrieve a bag as he lay dying. You were heard saying 'I hope he bleeds to death'."

• Florent Okende was convicted of murdering Ché Morrison, 20, outside Ilford train station in a row over drugs.

  The Old Bailey heard that Okende was keen to assert his authority as a drug dealer and had told his victim: “I run Ilford.”

  Okende, 19, had left prison just weeks earlier and had returned to Ilford to re-establish his cannabis dealing business.

  Judge Richard Foster said Okende had had a problematic childhood in the care system and an "ugly" criminal record going back six years with more than 20 convictions, including assaulting police officers. Okende was jailed for at least 23 years.

• Faye Burford, 40, admitted murdering her neighbour Peter Flux after he refused to lend her money.

  Burford had an £80-a-day cocaine habit, was thousands of pounds in debt, and had just 31p in her bank account when she went to Mr Flux's flat to borrow money.

  She had just taken cocaine.

  Burford, who has convictions for robbery, burglary and shoplifting, was jailed for a minimum of 21 years. Judge Richard Johnson told her: “You had an unhappy upbringing, but you have not shown one scintilla of remorse."

• Clara Butler, 21, got into a row with Lance Martin outside her sister’s house in Derby.

  The court heard Mr Martin was verbally abusive to Butler and her family before walking away.

  But 21-year-old Butler armed herself with a knife and followed Mr Martin before stabbing him in the back four times.

  The court heard Butler had one previous conviction for robbery when she was 13 years old and that she had had “a troubled life”. She was convicted of murder and jailed for at least 20 years.

• Daniel Ashurst killed his 14-month-old daughter Hollie then claimed she had fallen.

  He was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter.

  A court heard that Hollie had suffered bleeding to the brain and eyes, a broken ankle and possible bite marks.

  Unemployed Ashurst, 32, was on medication for anxiety and depression and had taken cocaine the day before the attack. He was jailed for 12 years.

• Drug dealer Svenson Ong-a-Kwie was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Jodie Chesney in an east London park.

  He stabbed her in the back as she sat with friends.

  Ong-a-Kwie, 18, and his drug runner Arron Isaacs, 17, wanted to take revenge on rivals, but killed Jodie by mistake.

  Ong-a-Kwie had been living in a hostel after his mother had kicked him out of home. He told jurors he was a keen boxer and wanted to ditch his drug dealing ways to become a professional athlete. Ong-a-Kwie, who had previous convictions for drug and knife offences, was jailed for at least 26 years.

• Arron Isaacs was one of two people convicted of murdering teenager Jodie Chesney - who was stabbed in the back in an east London park.

  He and Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, 19, wanted to take revenge on rivals, but killed Jodie by mistake.

  The court heard that Isaacs, 17, had been in and out of care from a young age and had had several convictions including assault and possession of a bladed article.

• Ian Levy, 54, killed his partner Elize Stevens in a “fit of rage”, stabbing her 86 times.

  He was naked and covered in blood when he was arrested, after a neighbour heard the victim "screaming for her life".

  Levy, an unemployed jeweller, had recently been discharged from a psychiatric hospital.

  He admitted the killing but denied murder and was jailed for at least 21 years.

• Kamila Bogdan admitted smothering her three-month-old daughter Julia to death because she wasn’t “able to look after her in the way a mother should".

  Judge Sarah Munro QC said Bogdan’s actions were “wholly due to her mental illness" and served a hospital order so she could be treated in hospital rather than prison.

  The court heard how weeks earlier she had taken an overdose of painkillers but was diagnosed as suffering from mild post-natal depression and was discharged from hospital.

  The judge told Bogdan, 40: "It will be for others to decide whether this tragedy could have been avoided, if your recent overdose could have been dealt with differently.”

• Kirill Belorusov strangled his ex-girlfriend Laureline Garcia-Bertaux, 34, and buried her body in a flower bed.

  He then fled to his native Estonia and sent fake text messages to her family to cover his tracks.

  The court heard Belorusov, 32, owed film producer Laureline thousands of pounds, pretending that he was dying of cancer.

  He was convicted of murder and jailed for a minimum of 24 years.

• Drug addict Joe Gynane was convicted of the murder of his friend Mohamed Elmi, 37, during a “drug-taking binge” in central London in which he also stabbed another man.

  Gynane, 34, was described by his barrister as “a broken, bewildered and deeply troubled individual” with an addiction to Class A drugs, that began when he was just 13 years old, and 98 previous convictions dating back to 1999.

  The depths of his self-loathing were laid bare in a poem he wrote whilst incarcerated at Belmarsh prison and which his barrister read out in court: “My core’s rotten/ I should be forgotten.”

  He was jailed for at least 30 years.

• Welid Solomon was part of a drugs gang that was convicted of the murder of rival drug dealer Luciano Dos Santos Almeida, 22.

  He ran over the victim in his car before taking part in the fatal stabbing of Mr Almeida in “retribution” for a robbery earlier that evening in Oxford.

  Solomon, 25, who was an Eritrean refugee, was jailed for a minimum of 26 years.

  His drug runner, Michael Yemane, 20, was convicted of murder and Safeen Karimi was found guilty of manslaughter.

• Michael Yemane was part of a drugs gang that was convicted of the killing of rival drug dealer Luciano Dos Santos Almeida, 22.

  Oxford Crown Court heard how the victim was run over by a car and then stabbed, in “retribution” for a robbery earlier that evening.

  Mr Almeida died a week later in hospital.

  Yemane, 20, who had recruited fellow killer Welid Solomon to the gang, was found guilty of murder and jailed for a minimum of 20 years.

• Safeen Karimi was part of a drugs gang that took part in the killing of rival drug dealer Luciano Dos Santos Almeida, 22.

  Oxford Crown Court heard how the victim was run over by a car and then stabbed, in “retribution” for a robbery earlier that evening.

  Mr Almeida died a week later in hospital.

  Karimi had also been involved with co-defendant Welid Solomon in trafficking illegal immigrants into the UK from France. He admitted two offences under the Immigration Act. He was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for nine years.

• David Martinez, 26, was a Spanish national who was fatally stabbed in his chest, back and legs by his flatmate Carlos Velez in a “jealous explosion of violence.” Velez suspected Mr Martinez had kissed his girlfriend, the Old Bailey heard.

  Velez had a history of violent, possessive behaviour and a conviction for cutting a man’s throat for feeling "disrespected.” Jailing him for a minimum of 17 years, the judge said: “I accept that you suffer from anti-social personality disorder. Your use of skunk cannabis has made your condition worse."

  The victim’s sister Katerine Martinez-Valencia told the court Mr Martinez “was an amazing man who had a love for his family that was unmatched".

• A 15-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was detained for at least 15 years after being convicted of the murder of Ayub Hassan, 17.

  He stabbed him in the heart during what he claimed was a county lines drug row.

  The killing took place in an alleyway in front of a group of young people who refused to help the police investigation, a trial heard.

  The killer had previously been caught by police selling crack cocaine and heroin when he was just 14.

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About these figures.

Information supplied by police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The list is comprised of manslaughters, murders and infanticides. These causes of death are categorised as homicides by the Office of National Statistics.

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November 12, 2020 at 11:50PM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54845899