Two Ealing men have been found guilty of killing a 26-year-old man in a graveyard.
Martin Stanislaus, of Northolt, was found guilty of murder and Leigh Burns, of Ealing, guilty of manslaughter at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday (March 16) following an investigation by Thames Valley Police into the killing of Lee Gillespie in Buckinghamshire.
Police were called to All Saints Church, in Church Square, High Wycombe, at around 8.50pm on August 22 2015 to reports of a man having been stabbed.
The ambulance service also attended but 26-year-old Mr Gillespie, from High Wycombe, was declared dead at the scene. A post mortem concluded that the cause of death was multiple stab wounds.
Stanislaus, 38, of Delta Grove, and Burns, 38, of Willcott Road, were arrested along with a third defendant Jodie Willis the following day and were charged soon after.
Retaliation attack over 'partner swap'
The court heard that Willis arranged for Mr Gillespie, who was her ex-boyfriend, to be murdered over the ‘bitterness and resentment’ she felt over a 'partner swap'.
Mr Gillespie was knifed up to 15 times when he tripped and fell while trying to flee from the trio when they went to confront him.
Stanislaus and Willis were led to the churchyard by Burns, who at the time of the attack was living with Willis.
Burns and Willis had been involved in an argument in the same churchyard with Mr Gillespie and his new partner, Lea Sinclair, earlier that day, which led to Willis contacting Stanislaus and ordering him to attack Mr Gillespie in retaliation, said the prosecution.
Mr Gillespie's family paid tribute to him, saying: “Lee was a gentle, caring, loving man, who wouldn’t judge anyone.
"He had a smile which lit up your heart. There wasn’t a day when you wouldn’t see a smile on his face."
'Thank you those who tried to save our son'
They added: "Not only was he a son, brother, nephew and Grandson, he was our best friend too.
"Not only has the loss of Lee hurt his family, the impact on what people witnessed on the August 22 2015 has been apparent. Thank you to all the people for their courageous efforts to try and save our son.
"So much heartache has been caused over the mad decision to take Lee’s life, including for the defendants' families.
"We are all suffering. Life will never be the same without Lee who we love and miss greatly.”
Following a seven-week trial, a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict for Stanislaus. He had denied murder, possession of a knife in a public place and perverting the course of justice.
Burns was found guilty of one count of manslaughter by a majority verdict but was cleared of murder and of perverting the course of justice.
Their co-defendant Willis, 36, of The Mead, Beaconsfield, was found guilty of murder by a majority verdict and jurors were unanimous in finding her guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Sentencing will take place at a later date.
