April 5, 2022 4.22 pm This story is over 23 months old

Sam Davies murder trial: Jury retires to consider verdict

Six men and a 17-year-old youth face one count of murder

The jury in the Sam Davies murder trial has started to consider its verdicts.

The nine jurors retired to begin their deliberations this afternoon (Tuesday, April 5).

It followed a four-hour summing up by the trial judge, The Honourable Mr Justice Goss.

The jury retired almost three months after the prosecution began presenting its case at Nottingham Crown Court.

The trial has been beset with adjournments and delays due to illness for jurors, defendants, barristers and others involved in the case.

Three of the original 12 jury members have been discharged during the trial, two to prevent delays due to them testing positive for COVID-19 and another because they could no longer commit to their duties in the overrunning proceedings.

The trial had been expected to last about eight weeks but is now in its 13th week.

Seven defendants from Lincoln – six men and a 17-year-old youth – face one count of murder. Joe Jameson, 24, is also accused of making a threat to kill.

All of the defendants deny the charges.

Mr Davies, 23, received two fatal stab wounds from Eimantas Gochman, 20, just after 10.45pm on May 27 last year.

That happened in a park between Coleridge Gardens and Browning Drive in the St Giles area of Lincoln.

Mr Davies died about four hours later in Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre.

The judge began his summing up by describing the scene shortly after Mr Davies was stabbed.

He said: “At about 10.48 on the evening of Thursday, May 27 last year, Ben Harrison opened the front door of his house in Coleridge Gardens in Lincoln in response to banging and was confronted by a man covered in blood, saying ‘help me, I’ve been stabbed’.

“Mr Harrison called for the police and an ambulance.

“The man, whose clothing was soaked in blood, sat up against the wall of the house shouting for help.

“Billy-Joe Mayfield, who was walking home at that time, went over to him. The man said his name was Sam.

“He was lapsing in and out of consciousness and just kept asking for help.

“He was 23-year-old Samuel ‘Sam’ Davies.

“Despite emergency open-heart surgery at the scene and in hospital, he died at 2.45am.

“He had sustained two deep stab wounds to his chest, which caused his death.

“The prosecution case is that his death was the outcome of a plan that he should be stabbed and that each of the defendants now on trial played some part in his murder.

“Each denies he is guilty of murder.”

The defendants are Billy Gill, 21, of Hatcliffe Gardens; Eimantas Gochman, 20, of Sturton Close; Daniel Heydari, 25, of Chestnut Street; Joe Jameson, 24, of Whitehall Terrace; Eric Kesel, 19, of Browning Drive; and Charlie Wakefield, 21, of Broxholme Gardens.

A 17-year-old boy cannot be legally identified due to his age.

The trial continues.

ALSO READ: