A 20-year-old man grinned in the dock as a jury returned a unanimous verdict which will see him sentenced to life in prison. Benjamin Bibby, along with Andrew Wilcock, 29, were found guilty of murdering Preston man Lee Dawson.
Mr Dawson died from a stab wound to his shoulder after being set upon by Bibby and Wilcock as he walked away from a party in Driscoll Street, Preston, at 2.45am on June 17, 2022, LancsLive reports.
During the trial, the jury heard Mr Dawson had returned to Preston from Sunderland to attend the funeral of his close friend Iain Cross. Mr Dawson went to the flat with Michael Silcock and two others after drinking at pubs in Plungington and the city centre.
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However he was asked to leave at 2:30am after the host called the police about the way he was behaving. As he and Mr Silcock walked away down East Street, they were followed by Bibby and Wilcock, who had covered their faces and armed themselves with knives.
When they reached the junction of Holstein Street, a stand-off took place between Bibby, Wilcock and Mr Dawson, as Mr Silcock tried to keep the peace. CCTV showed Mr Dawson remove his top and appear to challenge the younger men, but minutes later they were joined by Stuart Cross and Robert Brown, who and the four men chased Mr Dawson down the road.
Robert Cross, 33, was convicted of manslaughter for his role in the attack and Stuart Brown, 37, was cleared of all charges after he told the jury he tried to break up the fight.
After the killing, all four defendants left the scene while Mr Silcock called 999 and performed CPR on his friend as he lay dying in the street. Cross, Brown, and Brown's partner, Kerry Ann Metcalf, who witnesses the incident were later seen on CCTV close to the Landmark Church where Metclaf washed blood from the hands of Cross and Brown with chocolate milkshake.
The jury found Metcalf guilty of assisting an offender. Judge Simon Medland KC will pass sentence on February 14 when Bibby and Wilcock face life sentences and Cross has been warned to expect a substantial prison sentence.
As the men were led to the cells, Bibby unfastened his tie and top button, thanked the judge and swaggered from the dock, laughing and grinning. Mr Dawson's family and friends maintained a dignified silence throughout.
Turning to them, Judge Medland KC expressed his sincere condolences for what happened to Lee in the early hours of June 17. He said: "However he behaved at the flat, nothing at all justified what happened to him 10 minutes later."
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