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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/12/man-found-guilty-of-murdering-passenger-on-surrey-train
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| Man found guilty of murdering passenger on Surrey train | Man found guilty of murdering passenger on Surrey train |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A man who stabbed a father 18 times after a heated argument on a train has been found guilty of murder. | |
| Darren Pencille, 36, repeatedly stabbed 51-year-old Lee Pomeroy in front of the victim’s 14-year-old son. | Darren Pencille, 36, repeatedly stabbed 51-year-old Lee Pomeroy in front of the victim’s 14-year-old son. |
| The “unrelenting” and “savage” attack, which lasted 27 seconds, was captured on CCTV and witnessed by other travellers on the Guildford to London service. | The “unrelenting” and “savage” attack, which lasted 27 seconds, was captured on CCTV and witnessed by other travellers on the Guildford to London service. |
| Pencille and Pomeroy were involved in an argument over a blocked aisle on the train on 4 January. | Pencille and Pomeroy were involved in an argument over a blocked aisle on the train on 4 January. |
| Pencille, who declined to give evidence at his Old Bailey trial, admitted to having a knife, but denied murder and claimed to have acted in self defence. | Pencille, who declined to give evidence at his Old Bailey trial, admitted to having a knife, but denied murder and claimed to have acted in self defence. |
| A jury deliberated for 19 and a half hours to find Pencille, who is unemployed and of no fixed abode, guilty of murder. | A jury deliberated for 19 and a half hours to find Pencille, who is unemployed and of no fixed abode, guilty of murder. |
| Pencille’s girlfriend, Chelsea Mitchell, 28, of Farnham, Surrey, was found guilty of helping him evade police after the attack. | Pencille’s girlfriend, Chelsea Mitchell, 28, of Farnham, Surrey, was found guilty of helping him evade police after the attack. |
| Jurors were told Pencille had a history of violence, having previously stabbed a flatmate in the neck over a minor disagreement in 2010 and had threatened to kill a staff member at a mental health hostel in June last year. | Jurors were told Pencille had a history of violence, having previously stabbed a flatmate in the neck over a minor disagreement in 2010 and had threatened to kill a staff member at a mental health hostel in June last year. |
| Pencille had been seen by psychiatrists since 2004 but had not taken any anti-psychotic medication at the time of the attack, the court heard. | Pencille had been seen by psychiatrists since 2004 but had not taken any anti-psychotic medication at the time of the attack, the court heard. |
| The 36-year-old was described as “devious and dangerous” by British Transport Police Det Ch Insp Sam Blackburn, who was one of the first officers to arrive on the scene. | The 36-year-old was described as “devious and dangerous” by British Transport Police Det Ch Insp Sam Blackburn, who was one of the first officers to arrive on the scene. |
| He said: “His conviction in 2010 was almost like a mirror, apart from it not being on a train, where he did have an argument with another man and then stabbed him in exactly the same place – in the neck, causing a minor injury that time to the artery of the neck, not too dissimilar to our victim Lee.” | He said: “His conviction in 2010 was almost like a mirror, apart from it not being on a train, where he did have an argument with another man and then stabbed him in exactly the same place – in the neck, causing a minor injury that time to the artery of the neck, not too dissimilar to our victim Lee.” |
| Pomeroy, an IT consultant, had boarded the train at London Road, Guildford, just after 1pm on Friday 4 January for a day out in London with his teenage son. The pair got into the same carriage as Pencille and made their way down the aisle, the court heard. | Pomeroy, an IT consultant, had boarded the train at London Road, Guildford, just after 1pm on Friday 4 January for a day out in London with his teenage son. The pair got into the same carriage as Pencille and made their way down the aisle, the court heard. |
| Jurors heard the father and son may have been “blocking” Pencille’s way. A heated argument quickly erupted, with Pencille swearing at Pomeroy and calling him a “pussy”. Pencille shouted: “You touch me, you touch me and you see what happens at the next stop.” | Jurors heard the father and son may have been “blocking” Pencille’s way. A heated argument quickly erupted, with Pencille swearing at Pomeroy and calling him a “pussy”. Pencille shouted: “You touch me, you touch me and you see what happens at the next stop.” |
| Pomeroy demanded an apology in response, saying: “You should not have humiliated me in front of my kid.” At one point, Pencille was heard to say on his mobile phone: “I’m going to kill this man”, the court heard. | Pomeroy demanded an apology in response, saying: “You should not have humiliated me in front of my kid.” At one point, Pencille was heard to say on his mobile phone: “I’m going to kill this man”, the court heard. |
| Prosecutor Jake Hallam QC had told jurors: “Eyewitnesses saw what they thought was the two men trading punches. They were half right … They saw Lee Pomeroy punching the first defendant, defending himself, having been stabbed in the neck by him. | Prosecutor Jake Hallam QC had told jurors: “Eyewitnesses saw what they thought was the two men trading punches. They were half right … They saw Lee Pomeroy punching the first defendant, defending himself, having been stabbed in the neck by him. |
| “But the first defendant wasn’t punching back, he was stabbing. Again, and again, and again.” | “But the first defendant wasn’t punching back, he was stabbing. Again, and again, and again.” |
| Pomeroy’s teenage son had witnessed the entire attack. “I think it’s fair to say it’s had a dramatic and traumatic effect on him and I do hope the verdict that he’s received today will start that closure process for him and his family,” Blackburn said. | Pomeroy’s teenage son had witnessed the entire attack. “I think it’s fair to say it’s had a dramatic and traumatic effect on him and I do hope the verdict that he’s received today will start that closure process for him and his family,” Blackburn said. |
| Pencille got off at the next station and was picked up by Mitchell, who bought the defendant hair clippers and razors for him to change his appearance, jurors heard. | Pencille got off at the next station and was picked up by Mitchell, who bought the defendant hair clippers and razors for him to change his appearance, jurors heard. |
| British Transport Police released body-worn camera footage showing the moment armed police raided Mitchell’s flat in Farnham, Surrey, in the early hours of 5 January. | British Transport Police released body-worn camera footage showing the moment armed police raided Mitchell’s flat in Farnham, Surrey, in the early hours of 5 January. |
| In the video, Pencille is ordered to back towards the entrance with his hands on his head before he is handcuffed by officers and taken into a waiting police van. Pencille can be heard saying “yes sir, yes sir” and “please, I’m not going to do nothing, please” before asking: “What’s this about, sir?” | In the video, Pencille is ordered to back towards the entrance with his hands on his head before he is handcuffed by officers and taken into a waiting police van. Pencille can be heard saying “yes sir, yes sir” and “please, I’m not going to do nothing, please” before asking: “What’s this about, sir?” |
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