Review launched into student's murder

A review has been launched into the murder of a student who was killed by his boyfriend.

Jason Brockbanks was stabbed in September 2022 in Newcastle by Aaron Ray, who was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison after being convicted of murder.

The 24-year-old was attacked in his Howard Street flat by Ray after he read messages between Mr Brockbanks and other men on the dating app Grindr.

A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) has been commissioned to explore the circumstances surrounding the Northumbria University student's death and whether there are any lessons to be learned from the case.

Newcastle City Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service its Community Safety Partnership had agreed to oversee a DHR into Mr Brockbank's death.

A DHR is a review into the circumstances around a death of a person following domestic abuse to establish what can be learned from the death regarding the way local professionals and organisations worked to safeguard victims.

Jurors at Newcastle Crown Court unanimously convicted Ray, of Mayfield Road, Sunderland, of Mr Brockbanks' murder in 2023, and he must serve a minimum of 22 years of a life sentence behind bars.

The pair had gone out in Newcastle city centre before returning to the student's flat in the early hours of 24 September 2022.

CCTV footage showed Ray kicking Mr Brockbanks in the leg before entering the accommodation and, once inside, he took his boyfriend's phone and recorded a video of himself scrolling through the messages on Grindr.

Ray then stabbed Mr Brockbanks and fled the scene. The 24-year-old was found dead in the flat three days after the attack.

His father, Christopher, told the court last year his son, who was from Whitehaven, Cumbria, was a "loving and gentle soul" and a "talented young man who had so many dreams to realise".

The findings of the DHS are expected to be published in 2025.

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