Latest news with #HMPLincoln
Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Telegraph
‘My name's Blades and I stab people' bragged criminal before murdering retired carer
A career criminal stabbed a retired carer to death two days after being released from prison. Owen Blades, 27, murdered John Connolly, 69, at his home in Lincoln with a knife he bought earlier that day. The killer is facing life in jail when he is sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to murder. Harpreet Sandhu KC, prosecuting, told a pre-sentence hearing that Blades had been released from HMP Lincoln on June 11 last year, where he had been serving time for an assault. He then took a train to Gainsborough after withdrawing £200, and told a store security guard 'my name is Blades, and it's Blades for a reason, because I stab people', the BBC reported. The following day, Blades bought a £25 stiletto-style knife in Scunthorpe, which the court heard he used to attack Connolly. He returned to Lincoln, where he stole items from a Tesco supermarket. Blades then went to a gaming venue, Merkur Slots, where he threatened to put staff 'in a coffin' after they picked up the phone to call police. The killer then burgled a house on Portland Street before moving on to Mr Connolly's home. 'The defendant then subjected Mr Connolly to an immediate and sustained attack with the knife,' Mr Sandhu told the hearing. The court heard it was likely the retired carer had opened the door to Blades. He was found dead five days later in his armchair with several stab wounds. A prolific criminal Blades had eight previous convictions, including offences of battery and wounding, the court heard. The victims included his own mother. Phil Bradley KC, defending Blades, claimed there was not sufficient evidence to find that Blades had killed Mr Connolly for money.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- BBC News
Lincoln man murdered two days after killer's prison release
A man murdered a 69-year-old man in his own home just two days after being released from prison, a court has Blades, 27, stabbed retired carer John Connolly to death at his terrace house in Portland Street, Lincoln, with a knife he bought a day after his from Gainsborough, has admitted murdering Mr Connolly on the morning of 13 June is due to be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday. Harpreet Sandhu KC, prosecuting, told a pre-sentence hearing Blades had been released from HMP Lincoln on 11 June after serving a sentence for then took a train to Gainsborough after withdrawing £ there, Blades told a store security guard that "my name is Blades, and it's Blades for a reason, because I stab people", the court Sandhu said the following day Blades travelled to Scunthorpe, where he bought a stiletto-style knife for £25."It was a large dagger-style lock knife," Mr Sandhu told the court."It was the knife he would use to stab Mr Connolly to death."After returning to Lincoln, Blades stole items from Tesco before moving on to gaming venue Merkur court heard he refused a request not to drink alcohol on the premises and threatened to put a member of staff "in a coffin" after they picked up the phone to call police."As the defendant said that, he pulled out a knife," Mr Sandhu victim suffered a single stab wound to his abdomen. After that attack, Blades burgled a house on Portland Street before going to Mr Connolly's was no sign of forced entry and it was likely Mr Connolly had opened the door to Blades, the court was Sandhu said: "The defendant then subjected Mr Connolly to an immediate and sustained attack with the knife."The victim was found five days later dead in his armchair with multiple stab well as murder, Blades, of Tennyson Street, Gainsborough, pleaded guilty to four other offences – burglary, theft, wounding with intent and carrying an offensive weapon. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
28-03-2025
- BBC News
Kent: Inmate who attacked staff with self-made weapons sentenced
An "extremely dangerous" inmate who carried out a string of attacks on prison officers with self-made plastic weapons has been Rahman, 38, repeatedly attacked staff at HMS Swaleside in Kent and high-security Belmarsh jail, south-east London, in September and October 2022, the Old Bailey court heard Rahman, who has schizophrenia, said he had been directed by voices to carry out the attacks. On Friday, Mrs Justice McGowan handed him a hospital order without limit of time, telling Rahman that psychiatrists say "you are mentally unwell and need to be treated". The court heard on 23 September 2022, Rahman was detained in the high-security segregation unit at HMP Swaleside over concerns he was trying to "radicalise other inmates to extreme versions of Islam".While he was escorted to a shower, he punched one officer and stabbed another in the forehead with a then punched a third officer in the stomach and stamped on the foot of a fourth after they went to assist their an attempt to retrieve a self-made weapon, Rahman tried to stab an officer in the neck, jurors had he was moved to Belmarsh prison, he attempted to kill three prison officers on 23 October stabbed one of them in the head and neck, and cut two more officers' necks while they were trying to restrain him, the court heard. 'Inflicting serious injury' When ordered to open his hand, Rahman was seen holding the bottom of a plastic spoon that had been sharpened, the court January, a jury found him guilty of four counts of attempted also admitted a charge of attempted wounding, six attempted assaults on emergency workers and three charges of possessing sharpened pieces of plastic in judge said: "Rahman is an extremely dangerous offender who has demonstrated a willingness to use unlawful drugs, notwithstanding his clear knowledge that such abuse makes him likely to assault prison officers in particular and other persons."The court heard his attacks were "planned" and he found a piece of plastic, which he spent "considerable time" sharpening into a weapon to "inflict serious injury". At the time of the offences in 2022, Rahman was serving a life sentence for three earlier attempted murders and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, jurors the summer of 2017, he attacked one inmate and two officers at HMP Wayland in Norfolk, HMP Lincoln and HMP Wakefield, using improvised weapons to stab at his victims' heads and had originally been jailed two years previously, in November 2015, and ordered to serve six years and four months for drug had pleaded guilty at Ipswich Crown Court to two charges of possessing class A drugs heroin and cocaine with intent to supply and one charge of being concerned in the supply of condition is currently stable and he is taking his medication.
