Man gets life in prison for party-snub stab murder
A21-year-old man found guilty of murdering his housemate after he was “left out” of a birthday celebration has been sentenced to life in jail.
Redvers Bickley, 21, from Rhyl, killed Tyler Denton in September last year.
Sentencing judge Mr Justin Picken said the appropriate minimum sentence was life with a minimum term of 30 years.
Bickley was also accused of the attempted murder of Tyler’s father and two sisters, Paul Denton and Cody and Shannen Denton.
He was also sentenced to 10 years for the three attempted murders, to run concurrently.
The killer, who shared a house with Tyler, denied the charges but accepted killing her and causing injuries to her three family members.
He was found guilty of her murder last month and the attempted murder of Shannen and Cody, as well as the girls’ father, Paul.
At sentencing, the judge said the victim impact statements “make for very sad reading”, adding: “It is clear that their lives have changed for ever.”
The judge said the family was “close-knit and thoroughly decent”.
He praised the family for attending the court every day and holding themselves with “considerable dignity”.
The trial heard that Bickley had been “left out” of birthday celebrations and stabbed Tyler to death and knifed her two sisters and father.
Mold Crown Court heard that the sisters had been celebrating the upcoming 25th birthday of Tyler’s partner, Hayley Barnett, on the night of September 9 last year, with the group laughing, joking and taking selfies.
Prosecutor John Philpotts QC said Bickley returned to the house in Rhyl, Denbighshire, after a night of drinking and attempted to join in the conversation.
When Bickley ignored requests to leave them and go to bed the group went for a drive and returned to find the defendant bleeding, having broken a glass.
As the women attempted to clear up Bickley briefly left the house.
“They had no inkling of the horrific violence that was about to be inflicted on them,” said Mr Philpotts.
Bickley then reappeared and said, “Let’s begin,” the court heard, before he “sliced [the] right cheek” of Cody Denton with a knife, then pulled her to the ground and continued to attack her.
When her sisters came to her aid, Mr Philpotts said, the defendant attacked them.
Shannen Denton managed to phone their father, Paul, as the women all tried to escape, with 25-year-old Tyler telling Cody “I’m going to die” as she became weaker.
When emergency services personnel came to her aid she told them: “It’s hurting. I can’t breathe. I’m dying.”
She went into cardiac arrest and a decision was made to switch off life support.
Tyler Denton died at 1.31am on September 10.
The court heard she had suffered multiple wounds, including one to the left side of her neck, which cut an artery.
The prosecutor told the court Bickley was “obsessed” with Tyler and believed he was in love with her, adding that when the group were celebrating Miss Barnett’s birthday together he felt “really sh*t” because he had been “left out”.
Mr Philpotts told the court Bickley lost his temper on the night the Denton family was attacked.
He said: “These were the actions of a man who knew he had issues with his temper and had lost it that night, with tragic consequences for the Denton family.
“He knew exactly what he was doing.”
It took the jury eight hours and 10 minutes to reach their verdicts and convict Bickley, of Llys Aderyn Du, Rhyl.
Andrew Warman, of the CPS, said: “Bickley initiated a vicious crime on unsuspecting victims at a place where they should have been safe.
“He pursued them into the street and continued the assault until he was overpowered and detained.
“Bickley denied murdering Tyler and attempting to murder Cody, Shannen and Paul Denton, claiming diminished responsibility, but the case put forward by the CPS showed he was responsible for his actions.
“We hope that Cody, Shannen and Paul make a full recovery.
“The family and friends of Tyler have our heartfelt sympathies for their loss.”