Daniel Boulton jailed for Bethany Vincent and Darren Henson murders

A man who murdered his ex-girlfriend and her nine-year-old son has been jailed for a minimum of 40 years.

Bethany Vincent, 26, and Darren Henson - also known as DJ - were found stabbed to death at their home in Louth, Lincolnshire, on 31 May 2021.

Daniel Boulton, 30, was found guilty of murder on Tuesday following a trial at Lincoln Crown Court.

DJ's father, Kieran Henson, said: "No sentence in the world will be enough for what he has done."

Boulton had pleaded guilty to manslaughter mid-trial but had continued to deny murder, claiming he was suffering from a mental health condition at the time.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Pepperall said Boulton had subjected Ms Vincent and her son to "abhorrent physical and psychological abuse" and described him as a "very dangerous man" who took "pleasure" in inflicting violence.

During his trial the court heard Boulton walked 28 miles to Ms Vincent's house on High Holme Road where he stabbed her nine times.

He then went upstairs to DJ's bedroom and stabbed him 14 times. Both mother and son suffered fatal injuries to the heart, as well as the head and other areas of the body.

Boulton went on the run and was arrested about 24 hours after the killings following a manhunt.

Prosecutors said Ms Vincent had a restraining order against domestic abuser Boulton but he "repeatedly" broke it and continued to harass his ex.

She and her son had been due to move to an address unknown to Boulton just a few days after they were murdered, the court heard.

Mr Justice Pepperall described Boulton as a "manipulative and controlling" man and said his violence towards Ms Vincent was "borne out of a desire to control her life and a deep sense of frustration when you did not get your own way".

"Your abuse ran far deeper than the cuts and bruises that you inflicted in earlier offences against her, but included vile psychological abuse."

"You patronised her, you put her down, you made her feel small, you criticised every aspect of her life. You expected her to forsake her family, you insisted that she give up her own son, and you even uttered the most horrific threats about wanting DJ dead in her presence."

The judge said the killer had "a deep hatred of DJ", adding: "I am sure that you targeted DJ because of a hatred motivated by his autism and your irrational fear that such condition would somehow affect your own son."

In a victim impact statement, Mr Henson said the pain of losing his son was "unbearable" and that the moment police told him his son was dead would never leave him.

"I will never again hear him shout daddy. The pain and heartache kills me everyday," he said.

"Those are words no parent ever wants to hear. They will be in my mind forever."

Bethany's parents said their lives "will never be the same again" and spoke of their "pain and emptiness".

Her sister, Chloe Vincent, said Boulton had "ruined our family's life forever".

As he delivered the sentence, Mr Justice Pepperall said he had "given anxious consideration" to imposing a whole-life order due to the seriousness of the case.

However, he added there was a possibility the 30-year-old may never be released, even after serving the minimum term.

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