Man jailed for life for murder of Halifax's Casey Badhams

Jake Wilkinson, of Furness Drive, Ovenden, Halifax, murdered Casey, also 21, during an incident in broad daylight near to a children’s play area on Myrtle Avenue last August.

At the start of the murder trial a month ago, prosecutor Alistair MacDonald QC described how Wilkinson had armed himself with a large knife from his partner’s home following an earlier row between himself and Casey.

The jury were shown CCTV footage of Wilkinson getting out of his partner’s car on Myrtle Avenue just before 9am on August 7 and heading over towards Casey, who was with a friend.

During the confrontation, Wilkinson swung the knife at Casey and stabbed him in the side, penetrating his heart.

As Wilkinson ran off Casey collapsed to the ground and ,despite the efforts of passers-by and the emergency services, he died from his injury.

The jury heard how the two men had been drinking together with others after a “chance meeting” in the early hours, but an argument started after they exchanged insults.

During his evidence to the jury, Wilkinson claimed that Casey threatened to “shank” him and come to his house and kill him.

He described feeling scared and confused and said he had got the knife to confront Casey about what he had said.

Wilkinson claimed he panicked and was trying to keep Casey away with the knife.

But after the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on the murder charge, Judge Jonathan Rose said the attack had been a pre-planned act of revenge.

"You instigated and initiated the violence," he told Wilkinson at his sentence hearing last month.

"You sought out that violence and you were the cause of it."

Judge Rose said there had been a "petty and pointless" argument following an exchange of insults but Casey had walked away and considered the argument was at an end.

He said Wilkinson's attempt during the trial to paint Casey Badhams as a man of violence has been rejected by the jury.

In a moving victim impact statement Mr Badhams' mother Samina Kershaw described how her son had his whole life in front of him and had wanted to see the world and go to work in Thailand.

She said every day was a battle to get up and get dressed and the pain was too much to bear some days.

She said her son had a cheeky smile and added :"I miss his smile so much.

"Casey never stood a chance, as we now know, it was a single blow that pierced his heart."

She said her heart was not just broken it had ripped out out and a piece was missing.

"I hope sentence deters others from carrying a knife and stops other families going through what we went through," she added.

Barrister Mark Rhind QC, for Wilkinson, conceded that his client's behaviour had been "ridiculous overreaction and an escalation of the events earlier that morning".

Jailing father-of-three Wilkinson for life, Judge Rose said Casey had offered no violence towards the defendant and after the stabbing he had suffered devastating injuries and blood loss.

“I’m satisfied you knew full well what you had done and you turned and ran away,” he told Wilkinson.

“I regret to say I do not accept you have displayed any genuine remorse for the death of Casey Badhams.

“No sentence this court can impose will reduce or ease the pain of Casey Badhams’ family after the loss of such a loved young man.”

Jake Wilkinson’s trial and sentence at Bradford Crown Court last month could not be reported due to a judge’s order, but today the restriction was lifted after the prosecution offered no evidence on other outstanding allegations against him.