Jan

Murder conviction highlights tragic consequences of attempting ‘DIY evictions’

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Landlady, her partner and two accomplices are given jail terms totalling 70 years after eviction in Essex goes horribly wrong.

A landlady and her friends have been jailed for
killing a private tenant in Southend during an “eviction gone wrong” when he
was stabbed in the leg and left to die.

Ian Slater, 50 of Wayletts, Leigh-on-Sea, and Alex
Stephens, 36, of Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff, will both serve a minimum of 26
years for murdering Courtney Valentine-Brown, while landlady Kelly
King, 31, of Roots Hall Drive, Southend, and Stuart Pearson, 44, of Satanita
Road, Westcliff, were each handed nine years in prison for manslaughter.

The trial at Basildon Crown Court heard how
a dispute over a debt led King to ask her partner Slater to help evict
Mr Valentine-Brown, 36, from his property.

Slater then recruited the other two men. The
four had gone to King’s flat in Roots Hall Drive on 21 February, armed with
weapons to get her tenant to leave.

During the ensuing struggle, Stephens stabbed
Mr Valentine-Brown through the femoral artery in his leg. He suffered massive
blood loss and later died from his injuries.

All four had denied murder, with Stephens claiming
he had acted in self-defence. They had alleged it was an “eviction gone wrong”
and that they never intended to hurt anyone.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector,
Daniel Stoten, said afterwards: “Slater,
King, Stephens and Pearson acted together to confront [the victim]. Slater and
Stephens armed themselves – a clear indication of their intent to cause harm.

“Their callous and cowardly
actions have left another family devastated as a result of knife crime.”

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