Trio jailed for killing man in drug den feud

Three men who chased down and "brutally" killed a man during a crack house feud have been jailed.

Lewis Bell, 26, was "hunted like prey" by Sean McLeod, 23, Liam Matthews, 26, and Ashton White, 18, in Stockton in the early hours of 19 September, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Matthews, who hit Mr Bell with a chisel, had been freed from prison earlier that day under the government's early release scheme.

McLeod was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years. Matthews and White, who were found guilty of manslaughter, were jailed for 15 years and sentenced to 10 years in youth detention respectively.

Prosecutor Peter Makepeace KC said the feud was connected to a drug den on Norton Road where Mr Bell was suspected of robbing, known as "taxing", other visitors, giving the illegal operation a bad reputation.

On the night of 18 September he was chased from the property and attacked on nearby Hills Drive after reportedly stealing £20 from a user of the crack house.

As Mr Bell lay begging for his life, McLeod stabbed him with a knife, Matthews struck him with a chisel and stamped on him while White, who was 17 at the time, swung at him with a hammer but missed, the court heard.

His death was caused by a 5in (12.5cm) stab wound to his back which penetrated his lung, causing catastrophic blood loss.

Video from nearby CCTV cameras showed Mr Bell desperately banging on front doors for sanctuary and shouting "please", "it's gone in my heart".

Afterwards the killers dumped their weapons and fled, with the knife used by McLeod, who went into hide in London, never being found, the court heard.

The court heard Mr Bell was one of 12 siblings and was killed on his son's eighth birthday.

His was the latest tragedy to befall the family after the previous deaths of his mother and brother, the court heard.

In statements read to the court, three of Mr Bell's sisters said they had "been through hell everyday" since the killing.

Amy Bell said the killers were "cold and callous" while Leah Bell, Mr Bell's twin sister, said she no longer felt safe without her "protector".

Chloe Bell said the family had been disgusted by the "cockiness" shown by the killers, who had smirked and blown kisses at them from the dock during the trial.

"The way you have treated Lewis' death is a joke, how dare you insult our family like that," she said.

Addressing the court herself, a fourth sister, Emma Bell, said she could never "forgive or forget" what the killers did.

Mr Bell's father Martin Bell said the trio were a "bunch of animals" and the entire family were heartbroken and traumatised.

Judge Francis Laird KC said Mr Bell's killing was "horrific" and it was clear the victim was "much loved".

The court heard Matthews had been released from prison hours before the killing, 10 days into the government's early release scheme to relieve pressure on overcrowded prisons.

He had been jailed for 22 months in June 2024 for violent disorder after being part of a gang which attacked and robbed a man of £500 in Stockton.

Matthews, armed with a metal bar, had snuck up on the man from behind and kicked and stamped on him as he lay unconscious before rifling through his pockets.

A fourth man, Macauley Wright, 26, was jailed for two and a half years after he admitted assisting an offender, and a further six months for an unrelated dangerous driving offence.

He worked as a de facto security guard at the drug den and helped Matthews and White escape in a taxi while also throwing away a top splattered with Mr Bell's blood, the court heard.

He had been a close family friend of the Bells, one of the pall bearers at his brother's funeral and later called police to name McLeod as the killer, the court heard.

McLeod was also jailed for four years, to run concurrently, for dangerous driving after he led police on a 90mph pursuit through a 40mph zone in a stolen BMW while under the influence of cannabis on 9 June 2024.

Matthews will also have to serve a further three years on extended licence.

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