Latest news with #OwenBlades
BBC News
15-05-2025
- BBC News
Killer given life for stabbing 'much-loved' Lincoln man in home
A man who murdered a retired carer just two days after being released from prison has been jailed for Blades, 27, admitted stabbing "much-loved" John Connolly, 69, in his home in Lincoln in June a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court earlier, Judge Simon Hirst said Blades had launched "a ferocious and sustained attack" with a of Tennyson Street, Gainsborough, was told he must serve a minimum term of 35 years behind bars. The court heard Blades had been in prison for assault, but was released on 11 binged on cocaine and alcohol and told a store security guard: "My name is Blades, and its Blades for a reason, because I stab people." Harpreet Sandhu KC, prosecuting, told the court that on the morning of 13 June, Blades stole items from a Tesco store in Lincoln. He then went to an amusement arcade where he stabbed a member of staff following an argument over burgled a house in Portland Street, before moving on to the home of Mr Connolly, who lived alone in the was likely that Mr Connolly had opened the door to Blades, who then attacked Connolly died from stab wounds to his neck. His body was discovered five days later by members of his then, Blades was in custody for stabbing the arcade court heard Mr Connolly had worked as a carer and had been close to his family. A sister said he was "a very caring and loving person".Phil Bradley KC, for Blades, argued there was not sufficient evidence to suggest he killed Mr Connolly for financial gain."He (Blades) simply does not remember what happened," Mr Bradley addition to murder, Blades pleaded guilty to four other offences on 13 June last year, including burglary, having an offensive weapon, theft and wounding the arcade worker with intent to cause him grievous bodily watched the hearing via a video link from Wakefield sentence Judge Hirst said he could not be sure Blades murdered Mr Connolly for financial gain, but added "this was a sustained attack involving at least 18 blows with a knife".It was an aggravating feature that Blades was on licence and had shown significant planning and premeditation by buying a judge said it was clear that Mr Connolly was a "much-loved man".He told Blades there was no guarantee he would be released at the end of his minimum term. 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.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Burglar, 27, who murdered pensioner in his own home two days after release from prison in drug-fuelled rampage jailed for minimum of 35 years
A burglar who murdered a retired carer in his own home just two days after being released from prison was today jailed for life. Owen Blades, 27, stabbed John Connolly, 69, with a knife he bought just a day after leaving jail. He will now serve a mininum term of 35 years behind bars after a judge described him as 'no stranger to the courts.' Blades, who had binged on cocaine and alcohol had earlier told a store security guard 'my name is Blades, and its Blades for a reason, because I stab people.' Mr Connolly's body was not found until five days after his death, by which time Blades was already in custody for another stabbing. A court heard Blades had been released from prison in Lincoln on June 11 last year - itself only a month after he was jailed for 12 months for assault. He was released early due to time spent on remand. Passing sentence Judge Simon Hirst told Blades he could not be sure he murdered Mr Connolly for financial gain but added 'this was a sustained attack involving at least 18 blows with a knife.' 'You entered Mr Connolly's home and subjected him to a ferocious and sustained attack with the knife,' Judge Hirst explained. 'You inflicted at least 18 wounds to Mr Connolly.' Judge Hirst said it was clear Mr Connolly was a 'much loved man.' 'Clearly finding the body of their brother had a significant impact on his two sisters.' Judge Hirst added it was an aggravating feature that Blades was on licence and had showed significant planning and premeditation by going to Scunthorpe and buying the knife. The judge stressed there was no guarantee Blades would be released at the end of his minimum term. Blades, from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, had admitted murdering Mr Connolly in his home near Lincoln city centre on the morning of 13 June 2024. Tragically Mr Connolly's body was not found for five days until 18 June when family members including his two sisters discovered his body following a call that they were concerned for his welfare. Investigations showed Blades had been arrested on 13 June and charged with stabbing a man who was working at Merkur Slots amusement arcade in Lincoln that same day. Blades was on remand for wounding arcade worker Tyler Baxter when Mr Connolly's body was found by his family at 11.30am on 18 June and he was quickly identified as a suspect. Harpreet Sandhu KC, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court last week how Blades had earlier been jailed for assault, then released from Lincoln Prison on June 11. He then took a train to Gainsborough where he withdrew £500. While in Gainsborough the defendant told a store security guard 'my name is Blades, and its Blades for a reason, because I stab people.' Mr Sandhu said the next day Blades was taken to Scunthorpe by his mother. While he was in Scunthorpe he went to a store and bought a stiletto style knife with a five-and-half inch blade after showing his identification. 'It was a large dagger style lock knife,' Mr Sandhu explained. 'It was the knife he would use to stab Tyler Baxter and to stab Mr Connolly to death.' The court heard Blades returned to Lincoln on the morning of June 13 and stole items from a Tesco store before moving on to Merkur Slots. Mr Sandhu said Blades refused a request from Mr Baxter not to drink from a bottle of alcohol and threatened to 'put him in a coffin' when Mr Baxter picked up a phone to ring 999. 'As the defendant said that he pulled out a knife,' Mr Sandhu said. Police attended at 10.55am and Mr Baxter showed them a single stab wound to his abdomen inflicted by Blades. Blades was then seen by a witness in Portland Street, the road where Mr Connolly lived, carrying a knife. The court heard he burgled a neighbouring address before Mr Connolly is believed to have opened the door to him as there as no sign of forced entry. Mr Sandhu said: 'The defendant then subjected Mr Connolly to an immediate and sustained attack with the knife.' Although police visited Portland Street while searching for attacker who struck at the nearby arcade, Mr Connolly's body was not discovered until five days later. By then, Blades was already in custody, having been arrested on the evening of the fatal attack, for the stabbing of Mr Baxter at the arcade. Mr Sandhu revealed: 'Mr Connolly had been struck at least 18 times with a knife.' A defensive wound indicated Mr Connolly had tried to defend himself from the attack. It is thought Blades spent over three hours in the property. Blades remained silent during a series of police interviews. Mr Sandhu told the court Mr Connolly had worked as a carer and had a close relationship with his two sisters and their families. One of his sisters described Mr Connolly as 'a very caring and loving person.' Blades, of Tennyson Street, Gainsborough, also pleaded guilty to four other offences which he committed on 13 June last year. They were the burglary at 99 Portland Street, Lincoln; having an offensive weapon, namely a knife in Lincoln High Street; theft of food from a Tesco Express in Lincoln High Street; and wounding Tyler Baxter with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm. The court heard Blades had eight previous convictions including offences of battery and wounding. The victims included his own mother and an ex-partner. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment on 20 May 2024 for an offence of assault occassioning actual bodily harm but released from Lincoln prison on 11 June because of the time he had already served in custody on remand since November 2023. Phil Bradley KC, defending Blades, argued there was not sufficient evidence to suggest he killed Mr Connolly for finanicial gain 'He (Blades) simply does not remember what happened,' Mr Bradley suggested. Mr Bradley said Blades had also chosen not to run a trial despite facing life imprisonment. Judge Hirst passed sentence on Blades who watched the hearing via a video link from Wakefield Prison.
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.
The Sun
12-05-2025
- The Sun
Violent burglar murdered OAP, 69, just days after prison release and boasted ‘my name is Blades because I stab people'
A BURGLAR who boasted "my name is Blades because I stab people" murdered a pensioner just days after he was released from prison. Owen Blades stabbed 69-year-old John Connolly to death in his own home with a five-and-a-half inch knife in a violent robbery. The retired carer's body lay undiscovered in his armchair for five days - by which point Blades was already in custody for another stabbing. He is now facing life in prison when he is sentenced this week for murder. Lincoln Crown Court heard Blades was released from prison a month into a 12-month sentence for assault on June 11 last year. He took a train to Gainsborough - telling a store security guard: "My name is Blades, and it's Blades for a reason, because I stab people." The following day, he went to Scunthorpe where he bought a stiletto-style knife for £25 before returning to Lincoln. Blades first stole items from a Tesco then made his way to a Merkur Slots where he got into a row with a staff member who asked him not to drink alcohol on the premises. The thug threatened to put the worker in a "coffin" then pulled out the blade and stabbed him in the abdomen. After the attack, Blades first robbed a home before heading to John's house to also burgle him. The court heard there was no sign of forced entry and it was likely John had opened the door to Blades. Once he was inside, the killer subjected John to an "immediate and sustained attack with the knife". The victim was found dead five days later in a pool of blood in his armchair with at least 18 stab wounds. Following Blades' arrest, police found blood-stained bank notes that officers believe were taken from John's home. As well as murder, he pleaded guilty to burglary, having an offensive weapon, theft and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The court heard Blades has previous convictions for battery and wounding - including against his own mum and an ex-partner. John had worked as a carer and still helped in the community after his retirement. One of his sisters described him as "a very caring and loving person" following his death. Blades is due to be sentenced on Thursday. 2
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.
