Huddersfield teen jailed for life for murder of David Hunt in Hull
The 16-year-old has now been named
Last updated 3rd Apr 2025
The teenager found guilty of the murder of David Hunt in Hull has been named as Joel Lorell Simpson, 16-years-old, of Alder Street in Huddersfield, after the judge ruled that reporting restrictions would now be lifted upon sentencing at Hull Crown Court today (Thursday, 3 April).
Joel Lorell Simpson, also known as Lorell, has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 14 years behind bars.
Two other County Line drug dealers involved in organised crime and who were found guilty in connection with David’s murder have also been sentenced today.
Dean Dawkins, 20-year-old of Cherry Nook Road in Huddersfield was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Charlie Murray, 34-year-old, of Galpins Road in London, who assisted those responsible, was found guilty of assisting an offender and conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine. She has also been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Barry Leiper, 47-years-old, of Hull pleaded guilty to the offence of perverting the course of justice and has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
Elon Williams, 31-years-old, of Galpins Road in London pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine and has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
Both Lorell and Dawkins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine on the first day of the trial which commenced in February.
On Wednesday, 19 June 2024, Lorell and Dawkins were at an address on Arundel Close in Hull, when at around 7pm that evening, David tried to get into the property. After getting no answer, David left and returned later at around 10pm the same evening with three other people.
After being refused entry, David entered the house through an upstairs window and was faced with Lorell who proceeded to stab him nine times with a knife.
Having sustained significant injuries, David managed to flee the property, before he collapsed on a grassed area outside and was found shortly after by a member of the public.
Lorell and Dawkins fled from the scene to a premises in Newtown Court before returning to their homes in Huddersfield.
Meanwhile, Murray, who was in London at the time of the incident, arranged a taxi for Lorell and Dawkins to return from Hull to Huddersfield following the attack. Murray instructed the disposal of a coat that was left at the scene, and the destruction of a mobile phone belonging to Lorell, whilst Leiper disposed of the knife containing David’s blood in nearby bushes on Victor Street.
Emergency services were called out and took David to hospital to receive urgent medical treatment. However, despite the efforts of medical professionals he died from his injuries a short while later.
A murder investigation was launched.
Senior Investigating Officer in the case Detective Chief Inspector Jayne Goodens said:
“Once David was inside the property and confronted by Lorell, it took just 50 seconds for Lorell to inflict catastrophic injuries to David’s face, stomach, chest, arms, and neck which ultimately proved to be fatal.
“A member of the public alerted police after discovering David laying in a pool of blood outside the property on Arundel Close, and a murder investigation was promptly launched.
“Multiple line of enquiries commenced included conducting house to house enquiries, extensive analysis of phone data, various forensic examinations and gathering and reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage in and around the area.
“As David lay bleeding on the ground outside, his friends tried to get those inside the house to call for an ambulance, but instead they all acted with thoughts only for themselves, callously barring the door and prepared to try to cover their tracks.
“From CCTV footage, Lorell and Dawkins were seen to flee the scene out of the back door of the property and were later seen getting into the prebooked taxi on Newtown Court in Hull. It transpired that the taxi had then taken them back to Huddersfield.
“Police search teams were deployed retracing the suspect movements and recovered a knife in the local vicinity which forensics later proved to be the murder weapon.
“Two days later, detectives executed a warrant at Dawkins’ home address, and he was arrested on suspicion of murder. A number of arrest attempts were also conducted for Lorell in Huddersfield who later handed himself in to Clough Road Police Station on Sunday, 23 June.”
Joanne Taylor, 40-year-old, of Arundel Close in Hull was also on trial after being charged with perverting the course of justice and conspiracy to supply class A drugs in connection with the incident. She was acquitted after the jury found her not guilty of these offences.
Senior Investigating Officer in the case Detective Chief Inspector Jayne Goodens continued: “I would like to commend David’s family and friends who have shown incredible patience throughout the entirety of this investigation.
“Whilst the sentences imposed cannot bring David back, I really hope that this provides his loved ones with a sense of comfort in knowing that those responsible for his death are being held accountable for their actions.
“I would also like to thank members of the public who responded to this incident, and to all my colleagues, along with officers from the West Yorkshire Police organised crime group teams and the Metropolitan Police, who were involved in this very complex, multi-faceted investigation which saw the team uncover a multitude of other offences and fundamentally prevent an organised crime group from operating in our area.
“Because of their hard work and dedication, a strong case was built which has led to today's sentencing, and we will continue to do all we can to combat knife crime and prevent exploitation of those most vulnerable in our communities."