Two men convicted in connection with Thame murder

Nathan Braim was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court this afternoon following a seven week trial.

Braim, aged 20, of Broadwaters Avenue, Thame, was found guilty of one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Benjamin Eyles, aged 19, of Monks Hollow, Marlow Bottom, was found not guilty of murder, but found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent.

It's in relation to the incident in July last year when 19 -year-old Josh Harling was found in an upturned vehicle with serious injuries in Chinnor Road, Thame.

Initially it was believed to have been a road traffic collision, but Josh was found to have a knife wound to his chest caused by Nathan Braim in an earlier altercation.

Mr Harling drove away following the altercation and turned into Essex Road and then onto Chinnor Road.

He began to feel unwell and lost control of his car and collided with some parked vehicles before overturning onto the roof.

Despite the best efforts of medical professionals and members of the public, Mr Harling died at the scene.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Mike Roddy, of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said:

“This was a needless and tragic incident which resulted in the death of a young man with his life ahead of him.

“Whatever the reasons were for the altercation on the evening of 22 July 2020, there can be absolutely no justification for the violence meted out by Braim and Eyles, who have both been found culpable for Mr Harling’s death.

“The fact that they had previously conspired with each other to cause Mr Harling significant injury four days earlier shows that this was not a random attack, and at the very least, Braim intended to cause Mr Harling serious harm.

“Although the jury found that Eyles was not guilty of murder, they did convict him of the lesser charge of manslaughter, concluding that he was in some way complicit in this incident.

“The background of animosity between the defendants and Mr Harling was surrounding drug supply rivalries in Thame, but despite this, the violence seen that night was completely unacceptable.

“I am pleased that the jury have seen fit to convict both Braim and Eyles of these grave offences, and they will now have a considerable term of imprisonment to reflect on their actions of that evening.

“The actions of Braim and Eyles have had a devastating impact on Josh’s family. They have had to come to terms with their unimaginable loss.

“I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Josh’s family, who have had to listen to harrowing evidence in court in relation to his death.

“They have conducted themselves with tremendous dignity and bravery throughout not only the investigation, but also the trial, and I would like to offer both my condolences, and the condolences of Thames Valley Police.

“Although no amount of time in prison will ever be complete solace for Mr Harling’s family, I hope that the fact we have brought his killers to justice will serve as some form of closure.

“This needless incident also affected a number of other people in the town, and the wider Thame community.

“The supply of drugs in the Thames Valley, and indeed, across the country, often leads to incidents of violence, and this case highlights the dangers of being involved in such illicit activities.

“This case also shows the risks in carrying any type of weapon. If you carry a knife, you put both yourself, and others, in serious danger, and if you use a knife as a weapon, you can expect Thames Valley Police to robustly pursue you and put you before the courts where you belong.

“I have a very clear message to anybody who feels it is acceptable to carry a knife.

“Serious violence and knife crime such as this causes pain and misery, and Thames Valley Police has a Violence Reduction Unit dedicated in its mission to tackle it via prevention, intervention and enforcement.

“We will work tirelessly with partners, including our communities, to tackle serious violence and knife crime, and can warn anybody who carries a knife and uses it, we will pursue you and bring you to justice.”

Braim and Eyles will re-appear at Oxford Crown Court on Friday 26 February for sentencing.