Man jailed for Tesco car park killing

A man has been jailed for fatally attacking a 50-year-old amputee in a Tesco car park, but was cleared of murder, along with his partner and her son.

Wayne Ambridge, who had one leg, died in hospital five days after a family dispute boiled over into violence in Hertford on 4 November 2023.

Stuart Smith, 43, of Ware in Hertfordshire, was jailed for five years after admitting manslaughter and being convicted of actual bodily harm against Mr Ambridge's son Reece.

Smith's partner Karen Lynn, 42, was cleared of murder but the jury could not reach a verdict on her manslaughter charge. Her son Charlie Penn, 21, was cleared of both murder and manslaughter.

The jury at St Albans Crown Court heard the two families were in dispute over Reece Ambridge's relationship with Ms Lynn’s daughter, Abi, and she had been estranged from her family, who disapproved of it.

"Those tensions boiled over into unlawful violence," said Christopher Tehrani KC, opening the prosecution case in September.

The couple were being driven back from a firework display by Mr Ambridge when they passed Charlie Penn, Abi's brother, at his house in Ware.

Mr Penn decided to follow their vehicle and the jury saw dashcam footage from his car as he phoned his mother.

He was recorded saying "I’m gonna run him over if he gets out", to which Ms Lynn replied "That’ll damage your car."

She then offered to join him.

Ms Lynn, accompanied by her partner, also drove from Ware to the Tesco store, where Mr Ambridge had pulled in.

The jury was shown CCTV footage of the young couple getting out of Wayne Ambridge’s car and going over to Mr Penn’s car, when an argument broke out.

Smith and Ms Lynn then arrived and a fight started. The prosecution said Smith attacked Reece Ambridge and they were separated by a Tesco manager.

Wayne Ambridge grabbed Ms Lynn’s legs as she walked past, bringing her down.

Ms Lynn and Smith then started kicking and punching him in the head and torso.

Reece was prevented from going to his father’s aid by Charlie Penn, the court heard.

The judge said Smith’s "culpability was medium", as he had given Wayne Ambridge three hard punches while Ms Lynn gave him five kicks.

The judge added there was "no outward sign" that Mr Ambridge was seriously injured, and a healthy individual could have survived, but Mr Ambridge had deep vein thrombosis and obesity as well as having lost a leg.

He was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, where doctors found a bleed on his brain and he died on 9 November at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.

Prosecutors said that in a police interview before he died, Wayne Ambridge told officers he had driven into Tesco because he was being followed, and that he got out of his car "to try and protect my son".

Members of his family were in court for the verdicts.

Reece Ambridge said his dad was his "hero" who used to sing and joke with him.

"Thank you for looking out for me that night. My dad died because he saw me getting beaten up and came to my rescue," he said.

Mr Ambridge's widow Diana said in a victim impact statement she had lost "my best friend, hero, soul partner" after being together for 23 years.

"My heart was ripped out; losing him with horrific injuries was terrible. We’ll never be the same as a family.

"He's missed out on our baby girl's 18th birthday, he insisted he was going to wear his prosthetic leg for his daughter's wedding day."

Regarding the failure of the jury to reach a verdict on her manslaughter charge, Ms Lynn was told to reappear in court on 14 October for another hearing.