Man Jailed For 13 Years For Manslaughter Of His Father
A man who stabbed his father to death in a revenge attack, has been jailed for 13 years for his manslaughter.
34 year old James Clarke of no fixed address was found guilty of manslaughter at an earlier hearing.
He blamed his father for his “chaotic” upbringing.
On the afternoon of Sunday 5 April 2015, James Clarke text and spoke with a number of family members and told them he was upset with his father as he had accused him of stealing his mobility scooter. He showed one family member that he was also carrying a knife.
At around 4pm, James went to visit his father Graham, aged 52, (pictured) at a house he was staying at on Claybank Street, Heywood.
The pair talked and there was an atmosphere, after which James left the house. James inadvertently left his phone at the address but Graham asked the other occupants in the house not to let James back in if he returned, so when he did come back for the phone a short time later it was passed to him through a downstairs window.
An hour later, a female occupant in the house found James Clarke inside, and he punched her in the face, breaking her nose, and then left.
A short time later, Graham was found in the upstairs bedroom with serious injuries including multiple stab wounds, having been subjected to a sustained and forceful attack.
Paramedics attended but sadly Graham died in hospital a short time later.
After attacking his father, James went to see family members still in blood-stained clothing and told them what he had done.
James then handed himself into police officers outside an address on Athol Drive in the early hours of Monday 6 April. James was still blood-stained from the attack.
A post mortem examination concluded Graham died as a result of multiple stab wounds.
Graham’s family has provided the following tribute:
“Graham was taken from us in April in completely unnecessary circumstances. We cannot express how devastated we are that his life has been stolen and for this to have happened at the hands of his own son makes this particularly distressing for our family.
“Today his killer, James, has been sentenced and justice has been served.
“We will try to repair our heartache although no matter how long the sentence, it will not bring Graham back or make our loss any easier.
“We need to attempt to move on and hopefully today will now provide closure for our pain over the last seven months. However, we will never forget Graham or the many memories he has given us; Graham is now at peace and we have laid him to rest with his daughter Rachel.
“On behalf of the family, we would like to thank GMP and the Crown Prosecution service for their continued support and professionalism in this matter."
Senior Investigating Officer Bob Tonge said:
“**This was a horrific and deeply personal attack that Clarke carried out on his own flesh and blood.
“Throughout the whole of this investigation, Clarke has shown absolutely no remorse for causing the death of his own father, who he believed in his mind to be to blame for the deaths of his mother and his sister.
“James Clarke has rightfully been put behind bars for what he has done and I hope that the rest of the family can now try to move on from what has happened and start to rebuild their lives after their traumatic loss.**”
An independent investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission is ongoing into police involvement with Graham Clarke prior to the murder.