Deli Worker Jailed for Life After Fatal North Tyneside Knife Attack
A bitter feud between neighbouring businesses on an industrial estate ended in tragedy when a deli worker fatally stabbed a garage employee in North Tyneside.
Deadly Clash Over Decade-Long Dispute
Alder Willis, 68, from Camperdown, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years after killing 36-year-old father-of-three Andrew Darn outside their workplaces on March 27, 2024.
The long-running animosity between The Deli Sandwich Shop, where Willis worked, and Easy Access Garage Doors, where Darn was employed, centred mainly on parking disagreements on Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate.
Knife Attack Sparked by Silly Row Over Sausage Roll
The fatal fight was triggered when a sausage roll, thrown by garage workers to seagulls, accidentally hit Willis’ partner. This sparked a scuffle the day before the stabbing. The next day, tensions exploded when Willis confronted Darn, armed with a knife.
Prosecutor Francis Fitzgibbon KC said: “Mr Darn threw a punch. The defendant pulled a knife and stabbed Mr Darn through the rib cage into his heart and aorta.”
Emotional Tribute and Judge’s Verdict
Darn’s father, Michael, delivered a heartbreaking tribute, calling his son a “larger than life character” whose humour will be missed forever. “When Andrew died, a big part of me died with him,” he said.
Judge Paul Sloan KC slammed the “trivial and childish” nature of the feud, pointing out Darn had only worked at the garage since April 2022 and was not part of the decade-long dispute.
He described the stabbing as a “deliberate and cowardly use of a lethal weapon” and condemned Willis for fatally stabbing Darn before walking back to the deli, leaving Darn to bleed to death in his car.
Despite no previous convictions and being described as a “hard-working man” by his defence, Willis now faces life behind bars. The case has sent shockwaves through the North Tyneside community, where a decade of petty hatred ended in horror.
