Manslaughter verdict over attack on cocaine user

Five men have been convicted of manslaughter after a man was strangled to death in his home.

Ian Staves was found dead at his home in Cherry Lane, Wootton, North Lincolnshire, on 12 September 2022, having been killed the night before.

Forensic pathologist Dr Christopher Johnson told Bradford Crown Court there was strong evidence Mr Staves' neck had been "forcibly compressed".

The jury is yet to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge for a sixth defendant.

Nicholas James St Clair, of Castle Grove, Hull; Aaron Windas, of Anlaby Road, Hull; Celestino Furtado, of Waterloo Street, Hull; Jamie Smith, of Skippindale Road, Scunthorpe and Patrick Joseph Smith, of no fixed address, were all cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter by a jury following a four-week trial.

Bobby Gibson, of Woodcock Street, Hull, was also cleared of murder, but the jury is still deliberating the manslaughter charge in his case.

Two of the defendants, Patrick and Jamie Smith, previously admitted a charge of conspiracy to burgle and the jury returned guilty verdicts on this charge for the other four defendants.

Prosecutor Tom Storey KC previously told the court that in the run-up to the killing, the defendants had exchanged multiple messages and carried out a "reconnaissance trip" to Mr Staves' home.

Three men were later captured on CCTV at the address, with a fourth seen entering the driveway of a neighbouring property.

Jurors were told Mr Staves was a cocaine user and had been under police investigation for involvement in controlled drugs at the time of his death.

"Whatever lay behind the attack, nothing justifies what happened to Mr Staves," Mr Storey told the court.

A sentencing date has yet to be fixed.

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