Reece Radford, age 26, was stabbed when he intervened after seeing a 17-year-old girl being assaulted in Sheffield city centre on 29 September last year.
He sadly died six days later. A post-mortem examination concluded that he died as a result of a single stab wound to the chest.
Dereck Owusu, age 39, of Strathmore Grove, Rotherham and Louis James, age 46, of Manor Lane, Sheffield have been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for almost three weeks.
Today the pair were found guilty of Reece’s murder after the jury came back with a unanimous guilty verdict.
DCI Rebecca Hodgman, the senior investigating officer in the case, said: “Owusu and James had been out drinking that night. Just before 1am, they were on Arundel Gate in Sheffield city centre when they bumped into a teenage girl they knew, sitting at a bus stop.
“The three of them began sharing some alcohol. Shortly after 2.20am, a violent altercation occurred and Owusu punched the 17-year-old girl in the face.
“Reece Radford, who had been out with a group of friends that night, witnessed this assault and stepped in to help this young girl.”
The court heard Reece approached the group and intervened to help the teenager, punching Owusu in the face.
DCI Hodgman continued: “As a result, a fight broke out between the defendants and Reece. The three ended up in the road, and Reece fell to the floor where he was subjected to a barrage of kicks from both men.
“Then the assault abruptly ended. Reece crossed the road and collapsed on the other side. He had been stabbed in the chest.”
The court heard Owusu and James walked away, but returned to the scene a short time later.
DCI Hodgman continued: “While Reece was lying critically injured on the floor, Owusu approached again swirling his belt in the air, before striking it at a friend of Reece, who was on the phone to the ambulance. The men then fled the scene a second time.
“Reece’s friends and the teenage girl attempted to stem the bleeding from his stab wound. Police and paramedics were soon on the scene and Reece was taken to the hospital.
“He died on 4 October 2022.”
The court heard that CCTV operators, having been alerted by police, tracked Owusu and James through the city centre. The pair were arrested a short time later on suspicion of attempted murder. This was upgraded to murder following Reece’s death.
The murder weapon – a knife – was discovered during searches of a drain on Shude Hill in the city centre on Saturday 1 October. CCTV footage shows James on Shude Hill minutes after the attack on Reece.
DCI Hodgman added: “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Reece’s family. To lose a loved one in such tragic circumstances has been devastating. I hope today’s verdict will provide some comfort as they rebuild their lives without Reece.
“Throughout their trial Owusu and James have both claimed they had no idea how Reece came to be stabbed during that fight. The jury saw through those lies.
“Finally, I would like to thank the team of officers for their dedication to this case to ensure justice for Reece and his family. From the swift response on the night of the attack, through the searches for the hidden murder weapon and beyond.
Following today’s guilty verdict, Owusu and James were remanded into custody to be sentenced on 4 May 2023.
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