Life sentence for alcohol fuelled killer
Feb 23 2008 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal
A KNIFEMAN who stabbed a father-of-two to death in a frenzied attack during a drinking session was jailed for life yesterday.
John Potter had drunk at least two litres of spirits as well as taking cocaine when he launched the savage assault on John Hudson in September last year.
The 42-year-old, who claimed to remember little about the attack, confessed to the killing the following day when he handed himself in at a police station, Newcastle Crown Court heard. Police found Mr Hudson’s body in the bedroom of the flat Potter shared with him in Millfield Close, Newburn, Newcastle.
The kitchen knife he used to stab him was found in the garden.
Mr Hudson, 48, of Clarks Hill Walk, Newburn, had suffered more than 40 stab wounds and died from blood loss as a result of two fatal wounds to the chest.
A pathologist concluded the victim collapsed and died almost immediately from his injuries, prosecutor Julian Smith said. The two men had known each other for around five years and Potter described Mr Hudson as “a drinking pal” he got on well with and liked.
“To this day, the defendant cannot understand why he acted as he clearly acted and committed such an offence,” said Paul Sloan, QC, defending. “His lack of recall is still a source of frustration to him and he is still struggling to reconcile himself to the enormity of what he has done. That said, he clearly regrets his actions and feels genuine remorse.”
Potter, who has previous convictions for offences including assault, was sentenced to life imprisonment after admitting at an earlier hearing to murder and must serve a minimum of 12-and-a-half years behind bars before he can be considered for parole.
Passing sentence, Judge David Hodson said he took into account Potter’s disadvantaged background, lack of premeditation, genuine remorse and mental health problems including an anti-social personality disorder.
The judge said what exactly happened on the night of the killing would probably never be clearly known.
He told Potter: “What is clear is that you subjected him for whatever reason – perhaps no reason at all – to the most frenzied and sustained attack.”
