A violent offender who brutally stabbed a man and then murdered a fellow inmate in prison has been jailed for life — with a minimum term of 35 years.
Andrew Thorpe, 38, of Alfred Street North, St Ann’s, was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court today after being found guilty of attempted murder and murder in two separate attacks that shocked Nottinghamshire.
Thorpe first launched a frenzied knife attack at a home in Wheatcroft Drive, Edwalton, on 29 May 2024. Wearing a ski mask, he repeatedly stabbed a 28-year-old man he lured under the guise of a drug deal. The victim managed to escape and survive after fleeing to a neighbour’s home.
A month later, while on remand at HMP Nottingham, Thorpe fatally attacked fellow prisoner Jonathon Thornton in a shower block. The savage beating left Thornton with a catastrophic brain injury. He never regained consciousness and died in hospital on 12 July.
Jurors heard Thorpe admitted involvement in both attacks, but denied murder. His guilty pleas to lesser offences — manslaughter and GBH — were rejected by prosecutors.
The court was told that Thorpe attacked the Edwalton victim out of jealousy, believing he had ongoing contact with a woman Thorpe was “obsessed” with. He later launched the fatal prison assault after allegedly hearing Thornton had made racist remarks.
Sentencing him, Judge Nirmal Shant KC told Thorpe:
“You set a trap, armed with a knife and masked, and carried out a vicious and premeditated attack. In prison, you sought to send a message that you were not someone to be messed with.”
Thorpe had also previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, after cocaine was found during the investigation.
