Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Man guilty of stabbing dad in front of son, 14, is jailed for life
ATRAIN passenger who stabbed an IT consultant 18 times after a row over aisle blocking has been found guilty of murder.
Jobless Darren Pencille, 36, launched an “unrelenting” and “savage” attack on 51-year-old Lee Pomeroy following a heated argument in front of the victim’s 14-yearold son.
He was yesterday jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years
Other travellers on the Guildford to London service in January were horrified when Pencille produced a knife and repeatedly stabbed the unarmed man.
The defendant, who declined to give evidence at his Old Bailey trial, had admitted having a knife but denied murder, claiming he had acted in self defence against the 6ft 3in tall victim.
But jurors heard how 5ft 10in tall Pencille had a history of violence, having previously stabbed a flatmate in the neck over a minor disagreement in 2010 and had threatened to kill a staff member at a mental health hostel in June last year.
A jury deliberated for 19-and-a-half hours to find Pencille, of no fixed abode, guilty of murder.
His girlfriend, Chelsea Mitchell, 28, of Farnham, Surrey, was found guilty by a majority of 11-1 of helping him evade police after the attack.
Following his conviction, British Transport Police Detective Chief Inspector Sam Blackburn described Pencille as “devious and dangerous”.
He said: “He’s a dangerous man. Quite clearly with his previous convictions, where he also stabbed another man in the neck, and his propensity for carrying knives, he showed his dangerous, aggressive nature and that he wasn’t afraid to use that knife on that train on January 4.”
The court heard Pencille had a string of previous convictions for violence and dishonesty dating back in to 1999.
Mitchell had convictions for 10 offences dating back to 2011, including for using threatening words or behaviour.
In a statement read to court, Mr Pomeroy’s widow Svetlana described the “senseless loss of life”, made worse because it was in front of their son.
She said her husband was a vibrant, highly intelligent perfectionist, a loving father and her “guiding light”.
She said: “It was a senseless loss of life. I miss my husband every day. I have lost my friend, my soul mate and my guide. Lee loved life and it’s been cruelly cut short.Mr Pomeroy had boarded the train at London Road, Guildford, on Friday January 4 for a day out in London with his son.
Father and son had got into the same carriage as Pencille and made their way down the aisle, the court heard. Jurors heard they may have been “blocking” Pencille’s way, prompting the snide response: “Ignorance is bliss.”