Essex man jailed for murdering friend who woke him up

A man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years for murdering a friend after an argument about being woken up.

Jimmy Moore, 33, died after he was stabbed repeatedly by Robert Crabtree in Nazeing, Essex on 25 September.

The victim had gone there to pick up Crabtree's brother for work, but he was not in, police said.

Crabtree, 34, was given a life sentence while his brother was given four years for perverting the course of justice.

Essex Police said Mr Moore had thrown stones at a bedroom window in a bid to attract attention.

However, Ryan Crabtree, 30, was not home and after shouting at Mr Moore, Robert Crabtree armed himself with a knife and confronted him.

Mr Moore was stabbed repeatedly, in Palmers Grove, and when he fell to the floor was stabbed again before he managed to stagger back to his car, police said.

He started driving away before collapsing at the wheel.

Police were called at 07:15 BST and officers found Mr Moore in his car and said he died at the scene.

In his first interview, police said Robert Crabtree claimed Mr Moore was the aggressor and it was only after he was assaulted that he went to get a knife.

Ryan Crabtree, of no fixed address, claimed Mr Moore was armed with mole grips and had threatened his brother.

But police said CCTV footage "did not show Jimmy with anything in his hands when the attack took place".

Ryan Crabtree was convicted after he helped his brother clean blood from the driveway and turned off their CCTV after the attack to limit available evidence, police said.

A statement from Mr Moore's family said: "Jimmy's death was needless and pointless, and it's left a void in our family that will never be filled.

"Our family knew both Robert and Ryan well and we extended generosity to them over a long period of time and in many different ways - this makes it even more difficult to comprehend the tragedy of what happened that morning."

Det Supt Scott Egerton said: "This case highlights the serious impacts knives can have and how easily their use can significantly escalate a situation."

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