Man who stabbed housemate to death jailed

A man has been jailed for murder after fatally stabbing his housemate four times in the back before leaving to buy alcohol.

Mark Carpenter, 58, of Embankment Road, Plymouth, murdered father-of-three Harry Jackson in a Plymouth house share on 4 May.

Judge Robert Linford sentenced Carpenter to a minimum of 17 years and six months in jail after he was found guilty by a jury at Plymouth Crown Court.

He said Jackson may not have intended to kill but he used excessive force and armed himself with a knife after Jackson had twice assaulted him.

The judge said Carpenter did not try to summon help for his housemate who was found slumped at the foot of stairs at the Embankment Road property.

"You simply left him in the house to die," he said.

"Whatever he did to you did not justify you killing him."

Carpenter did not call 999 services after the killing but instead called acquaintances and went to the shops to buy alcohol, the court heard.

He has previous convictions for wounding for stabbing a man in 1996, many weapons offences and he was on licence from an indeterminate life sentence he was given in 2005 for robbery.

Jackson's family described his murder as "barbaric" and a "senseless, emotionless attack".

Prosecutor Dan Pawson-Pounds said Carpenter's previous convictions, being drunk at the time of the attack and the fact help was not summoned until six hours after the attack were aggravating factors.

Representing Carpenter, Ignatius Hughes KC said it was unlikely his client would ever leave prison and was "deeply affected" by Jackson's death.

Carpenter told the court the 28-year-old had assaulted him twice on the day of his murder.

The court heard Jackson had four horizontal stab wounds to his back and a potentially fatal slash wound to his left wrist which severed a major artery.

His wrist may have been wounded as Jackson tried to defend himself, prosecutors said.

The jury rejected Carpenter's claim he acted in lawful self-defence.

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