A court has heard how a man was stabbed in his sleep at his Skegness property before the attacker discarded the knife in a nearby drain. Marcus Tott, 47, was found dead by his landlord at the property in Grosvenor Road on December 2 last year.
A two-week trial at Lincoln Crown Court heard how Richard Lee Norris, 54, of Hilsdon Drive in Shildon, County Durham, armed himself with a large kitchen knife. The motive is believed to be the breakdown of the relationship between Mr Tott and a woman who is a friend of Norris.
East Midlands Ambulance Service had attended a report to a patient not breathing at the property and then reported it to the police, with officers attending soon after 9.25am. A murder investigation was launched after it was confirmed Mr Tott had died from a stab wound to his chest, Lincolnshire Live reports.
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Three people were arrested in connection with the incident later that day, with three being released without any further action. But Norris was charged with murder and remanded into custody for the trial, which began on June 5.
Norris had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder and named another as being responsible. He changed his defence on the day of his trial claiming that he was acting in self-defence and did not intend to kill Mr Tott.
The jury deliberated for three and a half hours and Norris was found guilty of murder. He will be sentenced on Monday, June 19 at Lincoln Crown Court.
Detective Inspector Adrian Czajkowski, of East Midlands Special Operations Unit, led the investigation. He said: "This was a brutal and senseless attack on a defenceless man whilst he slept. Norris armed himself with a large kitchen knife from where he was staying and purposely attended the home address of Mr Tott in the early hours of the morning and stabbed him in his chest to seek retribution.
"Our thoughts are with Mr Tott's family and friends. I want to thank the witnesses that came forward and provided vital evidence to secure this conviction."
He added: "I would also like to praise the investigation team and support staff that worked very hard and meticulously to build a strong evidential case and this included reviewing many hours of CCTV.
"Tackling knife crime is one of the force's top priorities because we know the devastating impact carrying and using a knife can have, and we would call on anyone who thinks about carrying a weapon to take a minute and really consider what will happen to them and anyone they come into contact with if there is a blade between them."
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