January 27, 2022 2.42 pm This story is over 25 months old

Alleged Spalding murder victim was stabbed in the chest, inquest hears

A man has been charged with murder and attempted murder

A 52-year-old man from Spalding who was allegedly murdered died after a stab wound to the chest, an inquest heard on Thursday.

Darren Kirk died after an alleged assault at a property in Cygnet Court in Spalding on December 20, 2021. A second man, 46-year-old Mark Stone, was taken to hospital in a critical condition after an alleged serious assault at an address in Bowditch Road.

Wayne Rule, 45, of Cygnet Court in Spalding, has been charged with murder and attempted murder. Wearing a grey top and grey jogging bottoms Mr Rule appeared before Judge Simon Hurst at Lincoln Crown Court on December 23, 2021.

The case was adjourned for a provisional trial, on a date to be fixed, at Lincoln Crown Court next year. The trial is expected to last three weeks, with his next court appearance scheduled for March 4, 2022 for a plea and case management hearing.

An inquest was opened by Paul Smith, HM Acting Senior Coroner for the County of Lincolnshire, on Thursday, January 27. The place of death was confirmed as Cygnet Court in Spalding, with the clinical cause of death as a stab wound to the chest.

The inquest was adjourned and a date for a further hearing was set for June 17, 2022.