Grimsby killer jailed for life
A Grimsby man who murdered one man and attempted to murder a second has been jailed for life.
19 year old Michael David Preston of Durban Road, was found guilty of the killing of Dean Southwick, 29, and the stabbing of his half-brother Charlie Day, on the 9th October.
The ambulance service called officers at around 2.40am on the Friday, reporting two men had been stabbed following a disturbance on Churchill Way in Grimsby.
Mr Southwick was found in Churchill Way and taken to the Diana, Princess of Wales hospital, where he sadly died.
Mr Day was found in nearby Eleanor Street and taken to Hull Royal Infirmary, where he recovered from his injuries.
Preston had denied murdering Mr Southwick and the attempted murder of Mr Day, but admitted manslaughter and wounding.
However, the jury convicted him on both counts on March 18th.
Today High Court judge Mr Justice Blake told Preston he would spend a minimum of 26 years behind bars.
Welcoming the sentence, Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Umberto Cuozzo said:
“No one would have foreseen that a small gathering of friends could have ended in such tragic and horrific circumstances. Throughout the investigation and trial Michael Preston showed no remorse or regret for his actions on that fateful night.
“Preston maintained his innocence during the trial in order to try and convince that he did not act unlawfully. He professed that the stabbings were an accident, claiming that he had collected the knife to try and scare both Dean and South Wick and Charlie Day.
“The jury saw through this account and have found him guilty of the murder of Dean and the attempted murder of Charlie. I hope this verdict provides some comfort to family knowing justice has been done.
“My thoughts are with Dean’s family who have suffered a devastating loss and have had to endure the trauma of re-living the circumstance that led to his death during the trial. Now the trial has concluded I hope they can start to rebuild their future without him.”