Waddon brothers cleared of murder

4:06pm Friday 11th July 2008

Two Waddon brothers accused of killing another man in a street fight have been cleared of murder.

Nicholas Monckton, 29, and Lee Monckton, 20, were accused of murdering Steven Jones with a knife and a meat cleaver during a brawl in Thompson Crescent.

“The worst thing I have ever had to do was to identify Steven’s body. I had to do so from behind a glass screen. I so wanted to hold and kiss him and tell him how much I loved him. That was the last time I saw him.”

Carol Jones

An Old Bailey jury found the pair innocent of murder and manslaughter but found Nicholas Monckton guilty of wounding on Wednesday.

Today Judge Giles Forrester sentenced Nicholas Monckton to seven years in jail.

Mr Jones' mum, Carol, told the court the loss of her son had destroyed her life.

In a victim impact statement Mrs Jones said: "Time can ease the pain but it will never fill the void left in my life."

"I feel that my life has been ripped apart. No parent or family should have to go through what we are going through.

"The worst thing I have ever had to do was to identify Steven's body. I had to do so from behind a glass screen. I so wanted to hold and kiss him and tell him how much I loved him. That was the last time I saw him."

The Monckton brothers both claimed they had acted in self defence and the court was told that during the fight on August 18 Mr Jones and his brother had attacked the pair with hammers.

The court heard during the fight Nicholas Monckton had embedded a meat cleaver in Mr Jones' skull.

But the jury decided that the 23-year-old dad was killed after being stabbed in the back.

The jury was told the Moncktons first became involved in the fighting after an argument with a group of youths while drinking.

The court heard Mr Jones, who had been knocked over and hit in the face during the scuffle, later returned to the brothers' house with his own sibling Mark and his cousin Ian Newman.

It was alleged the Moncktons chased the group away armed with knives.

Prosecutors said the Jones brothers returned to their own home where they grabbed a lump hammer and a claw hammer.

The group then clashed in the street, according to prosecutor Crispin Aylett.

It was clamed Lee Monckton hit Mr Jones in the head with a meat cleaver while his brother stabbed him in the back as his feet slipped while attempting to flee.

The victim was helped back to his nearby home while friends dialled emergency services.

He was rushed to Mayday Hospital but died at 10.50pm that night.

A postmortem examination showed he had died from a stab wound to the back which had penetrated his diaphragm and liver.

He had also suffered a deep wound to his head which had passed through his skull.

The court heard after the fighting the Monckton's hid on the Waddon estate before going to the Norbury home of their pal Jason Barbar.

The jury were told the pair found out about Mr Jones' death the next day. After being told about the fight the men's dad told them to hand themselves in.

Jailing Nicholas Monckton Judge Forrester said: "You caused your victim a particularly grave injury, there can be no doubt about that.

"It was delivered with severe force with an ugly and substantial weapon in your hand."