Daniel Rounce, 18, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years after fatally stabbing 79-year-old Gerald Wickes at a house in Queens Park Way, Leicester. The incident occurred on the afternoon of February 22, 2023.
Rounce, who initially fled the scene after the stabbing, was apprehended later that evening in the Aylestone Road area by law enforcement officers. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder.
After a trial at Leicester Crown Court, Rounce was found guilty of the murder of Mr. Wickes, as well as guilty of possession of a knife. Today, at the same court, he received his sentence.
Mr. Wickes had been at his former partner’s house when Rounce, who was unknown to them, entered the premises. Following questioning by Mr. Wickes and his former partner, Rounce pulled a knife from his jacket pocket and lunged at Mr. Wickes, stabbing him in the chest before fleeing the property.
Emergency services were called to the scene, but Mr. Wickes was pronounced deceased at 5:21 pm. A murder investigation was launched, revealing that Rounce had been in a wooded area near the house prior to the incident. CCTV footage also showed him fleeing the area after the stabbing. A subsequent search of the wooded area led to the recovery of a knife and two rucksacks belonging to Rounce.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector David Greenhalgh, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, expressed his condolences to Mr. Wickes’ family, acknowledging the loss of a beloved family member and the difficulty of the situation.
“This was a devastating incident which resulted in a 79-year-old man losing his life in a horrendous way because of the actions of a teenager who was unknown to him,” said Detective Inspector Greenhalgh. “We will never fully know why this happened, and my thoughts very much remain with Mr. Wickes’ family.”
