Man jailed for murder of Joseph Holland in Huyton

A man has been found guilty of the murder of Joseph Holland, who was stabbed to death in Huyton earlier this year.

At around 3.30pm on Thursday 8 June, it was reported that Joseph, aged 25, had been found dead inside a house on Huyton House Road.

It was later determined by a post-mortem that Joseph died as a result of stab wounds to the chest.

Following an investigation, James Preston, aged 21, from Huyton, was arrested and charged with murder.

After Preston pleaded not guilty, a trial commenced and today, Thursday 14 December, Preston was found guilty of Joseph’s murder.

Preston will be sentenced on Wednesday 20 December.

Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said: “Today a jury has found James Preston guilty of the murder of Joseph Holland after he was fatally stabbed in Huyton.

“Thankfully, the jury saw through Preston’s lies after he claimed his violent actions on that date were in self-defence, which was never the case.

“Preston launched a brutal attack on Joe that sadly resulted in fatal stab wounds that ended his life. Preston even tried to leave a note at the scene in a deliberate attempt to cover up his murderous actions.

“Shortly after the attack, he fled the Merseyside area before eventually handing himself into police in Kent when he had nowhere left to run.

“By failing to admit murder, Preston forced Joe’s family to endure an extremely upsetting and traumatic trial when they had to relive the events of that night.

“Nobody can begin to understand the impact that Joe’s death has had on his family and friends, but I hope that this conviction will give them a sense of justice.” Hear all the latest news from across Merseyside on the hour, every hour, on 96.7FM, DAB, at radiocity.co.uk, and on the Radio City app.