A Grantham man who stabbed and beat a man to death has been found guilty of murder
The incident happened last October
Last updated 26th Apr 2024
A man from Grantham who stabbed and beat a man to death has been found guilty of murder.
The incident happened last October.
The court heard 38-year-old Nicholas Ward of Eton Street carried out a brutal assault at his shared house on 38-year-old Tony McDermott after a night of drinking and taking drugs.
Ward believed that Tony had stolen his work tablet and another device used by his daughter. They were later found by Police in a bag belonging to Ward.
During the trial, Ward admitted that he had killed his friend but tried to maintain that he had lost control because he believed that Tony had stolen his work tablet.
He also claimed he had acted in self-defence.
The Judge ruled that there was a lack of evidence for the jury to consider loss of control, and the jury then rejected that he had acted in self-defence.
Ward was found guilty of murder by a jury at Lincoln Crown Court following a two week trial - he'll be sentenced next month. (May 2nd).
Senior Investigating Officer (SIO), Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer Lovatt, from Lincolnshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit’s (EMSOU) Major Crime Unit (MCU) led the investigation. She said:
“Ward’s actions were completely and utterly unnecessary, and brutal. Ward’s belief that Tony had stolen from him, which then prompted such anger, had no foundation whatsoever.
"Had he checked his own bags properly, and listened to his friend who both denied stealing from him and pleaded with Ward to believe him, Tony’s family would not be without their loved one today. This attack was sustained, and cruel.
"I would like to pay tribute to Tony’s family for their strength in getting through what was a very difficult trial to listen to. It is finding justice for victims like Tony that we come to work for, and I hope that today his family will be able to start looking to the future and how that may now look without him.”