Man stabbed neighbour to death because his son’s motorbike drowned out the TV
An ‘isolated man’ who hacked his neighbour to death because the noise of his son’s motorbike revving drowned out his TV has been jailed for life.
Jamie Crosbie, 48, used two knives and a saw to kill father-of-three Dean Allsop, stabbing him 17 times in their street in Thorpe St Andrew near Norwich on April 14 last year.
Two women who tried to stop the ‘overwhelming onslaught’ – his partner Louise Newell and their friend and neighbour Kerryn Kray, formerly Kerryn Johnson – were also stabbed.
Norwich Crown Court heard the first emergency workers called to the scene described it as ‘carnage’, with people screaming, injured, and covered in blood.
After Mr Allsop was pronounced dead there Crosbie told police: ‘That makes me happy, that’s a good thing, that’s the best news I ever heard.’
In video footage recorded by an officer who arrested him on suspicion of murder, he added: ‘I’m very happy about that, killing people isn’t always a bad thing.’
Crosbie had pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility but was convicted of murder last month following a trial lasting 12 days at Norwich Crown Court.
He was also convicted of the wounding with intent of Ms Newell and Ms Kray, and he admitted three counts of possessing an offensive weapon.
The court heard he was ‘suffering from a mental disability’ at the time of the attack, but the ‘delusional disorder’ did not extinguish his culpability.
Judge Anthony Bate told Crosbie: ‘I regard you as a very dangerous man.’
He said the words uttered after the ‘murderous attack’ were ‘chilling’.
The judge went on: ‘You’re aptly described as an isolated man living alone. You showed callous indifference to Dean’s fate after he had been repeatedly stabbed.
‘You left him bleeding on the ground and made no attempt to summon help. It’s plain you intended to kill Dean Allsop.’
He sentenced Crosbie to life in prison with a minimum term of 28 years.
The balding defendant stared straight ahead throughout Wednesday’s sentence hearing, bouncing his left knee up and down, and he showed no reaction as he was led to the cells.
Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, told jurors that Mr Allsop and his son were ‘keen motorcyclists’ who would occasionally ‘tinker with their motorcycles at home’.
He added: ‘The sound of a motorcycle engine in a residential area can occasionally, like many other things, cause some annoyance to other residents and such minor issues between neighbours can be resolved amicably with some give and take on both sides.
‘The prosecution case is that on that day the defendant allowed himself to become annoyed by the noise of the motorcycle engines and he was not prepared to deal in any amicable way at all with that issue.’
The court heard the father and son, along with a friend of Mr Allsop, listened to the engine revving for ‘no more than a couple of minutes’.
Crosbie ‘stuck up his middle finger’ towards the three men and swore at them out of the window saying he ‘couldn’t hear his television’, Mr Jackson said.
The prosecutor said Crosbie then came outside with a saw in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other and began to chase Mr Allsop.
He briefly went back inside following the main onslaught before returning a few minutes later to the spot where Mr Allsop lay bleeding to death and plunging the knife into his back once more.
Crosbie then lunged at the two women who came out to help.
Ms Newell, who is aged in her 40s, was stabbed in the chest and suffered a deep cut to her head while Ms Kray, aged in her 50s, suffered a serious stab wound to the neck.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Newell said: ‘It’s so hard to explain the true impact this has had on the family we’re broken.
‘It’s true when they say physical scars heal but those memories which scarred my mind of Dean’s last moment will haunt me for the rest of my life.
‘There’s not one day when I don’t wake up and think about it straight away.
‘I’ll never forgive Crosbie for what he’s done to my family. He’s taken the biggest and best part of it away from us all. I have got the best family in the world.
‘They have all given me and the kids so much support, I can’t thank them enough and I want them to know how much I appreciate them. I’ll never ever take family and friends for granted.’
Detective Chief Inspector Phill Gray said: ‘Crosbie is an extremely violent man and that night he was intent on causing harm to others.
‘He isn’t safe to be in society which is why we welcomed the jury’s verdict and today’s sentencing.
‘This was a cold-blooded attack which left a scene of carnage for those first responders arriving on scene.
After killing Dean, Crosbie went on to attack his partner and another neighbour who had simply come to his aid.
‘Our thoughts remain with Dean’s family and friends who continue to grieve his loss.
‘While today’s sentencing doesn’t bring Dean back, it offers a degree of comfort to his family and friends that the man responsible is behind bars where he can’t hurt anyone else.’
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