Two guilty of the murder of a Bishop Auckland man outside his home

 

The family of a man murdered outside of his own home in a tragic case of mistaken identity have spoken of their unbearable pain.

Lee Clarkson was stabbed multiple times after being dragged into his front garden on West Lane, in Bishop Auckland, on the evening of Wednesday, November 29 last year.

The 41-year-old sadly died a short time later from his injuries.

An investigation, led by Durham Constabulary’s Major Crime Team, resulted in five people being arrested and charged with murder.

Craig Dent, 42, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted manslaughter.

However, following a seven-week trial, a jury at Teesside Crown Court found the 17-year-old boy, together with Michael Richardson, 52, guilty of murder.

Karl Jones, 45, was convicted of manslaughter, having been cleared of murder. Dent was also cleared of murder.

Helen Jones, 43, of Bishop Auckland, was found not guilty of all charges.

In a statement, Mr Clarkson’s family said: “The fact Lee was murdered was bad enough, but these people could have taken responsibility from the day they were arrested, which would have prevented us having to listen to the final moments of Lee’s life at the trial.

"This has been unbearable at times we are broken hearted, and no words can explain the pain and torture that we have gone through.

"There are no words to describe the pain, which we all feel, but we hope that the justice served will hopefully give us some comfort knowing the people responsible for the murder of our Lee can't harm anyone else.”

The police investigation found the men had not intended to attack Mr Clarkson that evening – the man they had set out to find was Mr Clarkson’s lodger, who Richardson believed was responsible for two alleged burglaries on his house and shed.

On the night in question, the group armed themselves with a knife, a baseball bat and a machete and headed to the address.

Richardson made several calls to Dent and the teenager earlier in the day, including just a few minutes before the incident, although in a police interview he claimed these were likely to be about his ferret and polecat breeding.

The three men, all of Bishop Auckland, and the teenage boy smashed the windows and back door of the address in West Lane. Mr Clarkson heard what was going on and rushed upstairs to warn his friend, who subsequently jumped out the window and ran off.

As the group stormed in, they grabbed Mr Clarkson and dragged him out of the house into the front garden. It was at this point, he was stabbed, kicked, and punched.

The teenager admitted stabbing Mr Clarkson twice but claimed he did not mean to cause him serious injury. Dent also admitted hitting him with a baseball bat but said he couldn’t remember what happened as he had taken drugs.

The group fled the scene back to a red Land Rover Freelander, which was parked nearby, leaving Mr Clarkson dying.

Neighbours of Mr Clarkson called the emergency services and rushed to help him, but sadly his injuries were too severe.

Detective Superintendent Andy Reynolds, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “We believe this was a case of mistaken identity. Lee Clarkson wasn’t the target that night – he was an innocent party in this incident.

“This was a brutal attack on an innocent man in his own home.

“The group were intent on seeking retribution that night, they armed themselves with weapons and forced their way into Lee Clarkson’s home.

“Since the devastating attack they have continued to deny or attempt to downplay their involvement.

“I am delighted the jury have seen through these lies and hope Lee’s family can take some consolation in the justice that has been administered today.

“I would like to thank the community for their help and support that night and subsequently throughout the investigation.

“My investigation team worked around the clock in the hours that followed this incident to bring those responsible to justice and I am grateful for their dedication and hard work.

“My thoughts go out to Mr Clarkson’s family.”

They will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on Friday, October 11.