Bognor man who set father alight guilty of murder
Mark Stoakes died of burn injuries following the attack outside his home
A man who sprayed a father with petrol, then ignited it in Bognor Regis has been found guilty of murder.
Mark Stoakes suffered serious burn injuries in the assault outside his home in Oak Grove and died in hospital three days later.
Aaron Wilks, 38 and of Ash Grove, was found guilty of the 60-year-old's murder, and blackmail, at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday (December 10th), following a 10-day trial.
He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
The incident
Mark Stoakes had been at home with his family on the evening of April 8th this year when they noticed their garden gate was on fire.
Mark and his wife ran to the front of their house in Oak Grove to see who was responsible for starting the fire. There, they encountered Aaron Wilks.
Wilks was holding a blue bottle and began spraying a liquid towards the victim and his wife. Mark, protecting his wife, stood nearest Wilks and became drenched in liquid - a liquid later confirmed to be petrol. Wilks then produced a flame, which ignited a fire instantly
Mr Stoakes suffered extensive burns and was taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in an induced coma, where he died from his injuries three weeks later on April 30th.
The investigation
As police began to investigate the assault, two other violent incidents involving the victim and the suspect came to light.
Around 11.30am on January 31st, Wilks attended the victim's home address and demanded to be let in.
When Mark opened the door, Wilks pushed past him and into the kitchen of the property.
Wilks was in possession of a meat cleaver and began threatening Mark, demanding to be paid money that he was owed. At one point, Wilks held the meat cleaver to Mark's throat and also slammed it down onto the top of the cooker causing damage.
The exchange was caught on CCTV inside the victim's home, but was not reported to police until after April 8th.
The second incident was around 3pm on February 9th, when the suspect attended the victim's home address again with two other men.
On this occasion, Wilks threatened to kill Mark and his family before ripping a CCTV camera off the wall around the side of the house.
On the evening of April 8th, the victim's family recognised Wilks from those previous interactions and he was nominated as a main suspect for the arson and assault.
The arrest
Police searched addresses and vehicles of people known to be associated with Wilks and seized evidence including a black petrol can from a car, a blue spray bottle from a house and a coat matching that worn by the suspect in the CCTV footage of the assault.
Wilks was arrested at an address on Ash Grove on April 11th.
During his interview, he presented a prepared statement in which he admitted attending the house in Oak Grove but claimed the victim had come at him with a knife and he had then acted in self-defence. Wilks remained silent for the rest of the interview.
While Wilks was still in custody, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges of blackmail, criminal damage and possession of a bladed article in relation to the incident on January 31st; criminal damage in relation to the incident on February 9th; and grievous bodily harm and applying an explosive substance with intent to cause serious injury in relation to the incident on April 8th.
Following Mark's death, the cause of which was determined to be complications arising from burns to the upper torso, the charge of grievous bodily harm was upgraded to murder.
Wilks appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on May 17 and pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and criminal damage. He pleaded not guilty to murder, blackmail and applying an explosive substance with intent, and the case was sent for trial.
The conclusion
Wilks was found guilty of murder and blackmail on Friday (December 10). He was found not guilty of applying an explosive substance with intent.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Pauline Lane of Sussex Police said:
"This was a horrendous and deeply distressing incident that has resulted in the tragic loss of a beloved husband, father and friend.
"Aaron Wilks attended the victim's home address on the evening of April 8 armed with an accelerant and a lighter, intent on causing harm.
"The subsequent assault was the culmination of a campaign of threatening and aggressive behaviour by Wilks towards Mark Stoakes over an apparent unpaid loan.
"We're grateful to Mark's family for their bravery and dignity throughout, and to witnesses and the wider community for supporting our investigation."