Murderer jailed for 17 years after stabbing a man in the neck in Huddersfield

A Huddersfield man has been jailed for 17 years after he fatally stabbed another man in the neck.
Murderer Ashley KingMurderer Ashley King
Murderer Ashley King

Ashley King, aged 29, was found guilty of murder by a jury following a 10 day trial at Leeds Crown Court earlier this month.

The court had heard that on May 8 this year, police were called to the communal area of flats on Bentley Street in Huddersfield at 11pm and found 25-year-old Gareth Atkinson who had been severely injured but despite the efforts of the emergency services he died due to a single stab wound in his neck.

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There was a long-standing dispute between King and Mr Atkinson say police and the court also heard that King fled the scene and hid at a house for two days when he was arrested by police and taken into custody.

Victim Gareth Atkinson.Victim Gareth Atkinson.
Victim Gareth Atkinson.

Today (Monday) King was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 17 years.

Following the sentence, Det Chief Insp Ian Scott, who led the investigation, said: “We welcome the sentence which have been handed down to Ashley King today following a long trial.

“King tried to evade the police and not take responsibility for what he had done. He was tracked down by police officers days after the incident and brought into custody.

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“The violence King displayed towards Gareth is appalling; both verbally through social media and his despicable actions on 8 May, which resulted in Gareth suffering a fatal stab wound, which he was unable to survive.

“Our thoughts remain with Gareth’s family and loved ones and we hope that this conviction will enable them to start to rebuild their lives.”

A statement which has been issued from Gareth’s family says: “In the early hours of the 9th of May 2018, as a result of the actions of one individual, our family’s lives dramatically changed.

“Our loss is immense and is also not only felt by ‘us’ Gaz’s closest relatives, but also by the many friends and colleagues he had. The support of Gaz’s many friends has been extremely comforting to us and we wish to thank them all for their continued love and support which has and continues to be invaluable.

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“We respect the findings of the Court and wish to extend our thanks to all those responsible for bringing the case to its conclusion.

“The loss of Gaz is forever, that is our sentence and there isn’t a day that passes that we don’t miss and long for his company.

“Our hope is that now the case has concluded and justice has been done that we can now grieve privately and Gaz can rest in peace and we can all try and move on as a family.”