Nightclub reveller guilty of ‘knife rampage’ murder

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A nightclub reveller who went on a “knife rampage” leaving one man dead and four others injured has been convicted of murder.

Jake Hill, 25, stabbed five people in a matter of seconds outside the Eclipse nightclub in Bodmin, Cornwall, with a serrated hunting knife.

He had joined a fight between 15 revellers outside the club shortly after 3am on April 30 last year, Truro Crown Court was told.

A disturbance broke out between groups of people in the street after the venue closed.

Victims were either stabbed or slashed in the melee by Hill who had collected the blade from a nearby hedge where he had hidden it prior to entering the nightclub.

Michael Riddiough-Allen, 32, who was the fifth person to be stabbed, suffered a fatal wound to his abdomen and died at the scene.

Following a six-week trial, Hill, of Jubilee Terrace, Bodmin was found guilty of murder and also convicted of four counts of Section 18 wounding with intent.

He was found not guilty of one count of Section 18 wounding with intent relating to a sixth person.

Chelsea Powell and Tia Taylor, who had also been inside the nightclub, had also stood trial alongside Hill accused of murder.

Powell and Taylor both deliberately lied to frustrate the police in their investigation.

Hill was found hiding in the loft at Taylor’s address following the stabbing – after she told officers nobody else was home.

Powell, 22, of Granny’s Green, Bodmin was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter. She was found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

Taylor, 22, of Northey Road, Bodmin admitted charges during the trial of manslaughter and perverting the course of justice.

They will be sentenced on April 12.

Detective Constable Emma Norrish, of Devon & Cornwall Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “We welcome the verdict reached by the jury after hearing the evidence and deliberating on their decisions.

“This has been a long and complex investigation and trial and we now await the sentencing of the three defendants.

“I hope the outcome reached today will begin to bring some closure to Michael’s family and friends, and to the surviving victims.”

In a statement issued by police, Mr Riddiough-Allen’s family said they were campaigning against knife crime.

“The journey that has led us here from the night Michael died, though long and painful, has opened our eyes to the growing problem in our society,” they said.

“This journey has given us the purpose and motivation to try to make a difference.

“Whilst we are grateful for our justice system and its ability to uphold the laws of our society, today’s verdicts are not a victory. There are no winners here.

“It is not just our family who lost someone they loved that night.

“The families of Tia Taylor, Chelsea Powell and Jake Hill have been torn apart by the evil of that night – the presence of a knife.

“With no knife the devastating events of that night would not have happened.

“The presence and use of a knife turned to unmitigated violence, scarring injuries and haunting images that many will never forget.

“Michael watched that violence unfold in front of him, he felt a need to intervene to remove the threat and protect others. In this task, he lost his life.

“As four families we stand before you, together, to raise awareness of the damage that can be caused by carrying a knife. No good can come of it, only anger, hatred, loss and grief.

“We aim to educate and to work collaboratively to tackle the root of the problem, to help our young people understand that a knife does not protect you or make you popular, to give them the skills and tools needed to make better choices in the future.

“We stand here together, as a warning: if a change does not happen then many more families will stand on court steps, broken from the loss that knife crime brings.

“We stand here together to beg you #leaveitinthedrawer”.