Two men who brutally assaulted and then stabbed their victim to death before concealing his body in a cellar have been given life sentences.
Sanchez Francis (24) and Kieran Doherty (19) both from Huddersfield, were yesterday sentenced at Leeds Crown Court ( Tuesday July 23) for the murder of Paul Early (53) in the Birkby area on June 19 2022.
They were also sentenced for two unrelated robbery offences.
Francis was sentenced to life imprisonment with an overall minimum term of 21 years for all his offences.
For all of his actions, Doherty received a life sentence with a minimum of 17 years and six months in prison.
On June 19, 2022, in the afternoon, police were called to an address on Bradford Road in Fartown in order to make investigations about Kieran Doherty’s possible arrest for a robbery.
Following Doherty’s arrest, the officers searched the house and found Paul’s body hidden beneath a stack of shattered furniture in the cellar.
Doherty was taken into additional custody on a murder charge.
Subsequent inquiry revealed that the individuals had attacked Paul in the street on June 19 at roughly 1.30 in the morning.
After being hauled into Doherty’s residence, he was severely beaten and wounded with sharp objects.
DCI “Paul was the victim of a horrific assault by these men who committed a final indignity on him by attempting to conceal his body,” stated Matthew Holdsworth, the Senior Investigating Officer in the case.I have never witnessed violence against a police officer as bad as what they did to Paul.Before utilising a bladed weapon to stab Paul numerous times, the suspects used excessive force to seriously injure him.
The fact that Paul was obviously chosen at random by the two made the attack on him even more vicious. Paul was just exploring the area when the two noticed him.
“The attack on Paul was made all the worse by him clearly being selected by the pair at random. Paul was merely walking around the area when he was spotted by the pair.
He added: “There is no doubt that both of these males are dangerous individuals, as further evidenced by the totality of their offending.
“We hope seeing the males sentenced will bring some comfort to Paul’s relatives and friends and allow the victims of the robberies to know no other people will not be subjected to the same ordeal they were.”
Leave a Reply