 |
| Stabbed: John Kennett |
An enraged man, who stabbed his “best mate” to death for losing his late mother’s mobility scooter, which they used to collect a pawned television, has been jailed.
Kenneth Pitcher, 51, dragged dying John Kennett, 61, into the street and pretended he was assisting him when emergency services arrived.
At Croydon Crown Court he was sentenced to life imprisonment - with a 14-year minimum - after a jury convicted him of murder.
Pitcher - high on crack cocaine - repeatedly plunged a knife into the victim at the address in Woodcroft Road, Croydon on December 23, last year.
Earlier that day the pair - with Mr. Kennett riding the mobility scooter - had gone to a local Cash Converters to collect Pitcher’s pawned television.
By the time they returned Mr. Kennett had lost the scooter and Pitcher was shouting abuse.
Prosecutor Mr. Hugh Davies QC told the trial Pitcher dragged the wounded Mr. Kennett onto the pavement at 9pm and pretended he did not know him when paramedics arrived.
Drunken Pitcher, who had smoked crack cocaine and taken methadone that night, was seen by emergency services leaning over the dying man, asking: “Mate. What’s your name?”
“He told the paramedics the patient had knocked on his door, asking for help and then had stumbled and fallen to the floor,” explained the prosecutor.
Pitcher told the paramedics the man had been stabbed and was bleeding, despite there being no visual evidence of this and when pressed, replied: “I was just trying to f***ing help. I hope he’s okay.”
Pitcher then returned inside and slammed his front door.
“He gave contradictory and false accounts of events at the scene to distance himself from what he had done,” explained Mr. Davies.
“He knew the man lying on the ground very well, a man who he later told police was his: ‘best mate’.
“Mr. Kennett had not knocked on the defendant’s door. It later became obvious he had bled heavily inside the defendant’s living room.
“He suffered multiple stab wounds, including wounds to his left thigh and chest and bruising to the right side of his face.”
Pitcher’s Polish lodger Seb Wierzchoski had witnessed him dragging Mr. Kennett outside and called 999 on the order of the defendant, the court heard.
Regarding Pitcher’s defence case Mr. Davies told the jurors. “He says it was not him. It must have been the lodger by implication.”
Earlier that day the lodger saw Pitcher and Mr. Kennett together, making plans to collect the defendant’s tv from a local pawnbroker.
“The lodger says Mr. Kennett often rode on Pitcher’s late mother’s mobility scooter, not because he was disabled, but because he was lazy.”
CCTV captured the pair travelling along London Road with the scooter and television.
“When the defendant returned home with the television and no scooter he was furious and was shouting that Mr. Kennett was a w*****,” explained the prosecutor.
“He was angry because Mr. Kennett had left the mobility scooter somewhere between Croydon town centre and the house.”
Mr. Kennett, who was a regular visitor, apologised and the pair settled down to drink and smoke crack cocaine.
Police recovered a washing-up bowl and towel covered in Mr. Kennett’s blood from a neighbour’s garden and a wet wipe inside the address contained both the deceased’s blood and Pitcher’s DNA.
Detective Inspector Garth Hall, of Specialist Crime South said: “John Kennett was killed by someone he considered a friend, someone he trusted.
“John was attacked when he was at his most vulnerable in a place where he felt safe. The attack was unprovoked and brutal.
“Our thoughts are with the family at this time. They have acted with immense decorum in what has been an emotionally charged ordeal.
“I am extremely pleased they have seen justice served.”
