| Date | 30 April 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location | Castle Canyke Road, Bodmin, Cornwall, England |
| Coordinates | 50°27′49″N 4°42′37″W / 50.463570°N 4.710204°W |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 7 |
| Accused | Jake Hill, Tia Taylor, Chelsea Powell |
| Charges | Hill: Murder, three counts of attempted murder and two counts of Section 18 causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Taylor and Powell: Joint enterprise murder |
| Mass stabbing | |
In the early hours of 30 April 2023, a mass stabbing outside a nightclub in Bodmin, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, left one person dead and seven others injured.[1]
Incident
After a group of nightclubbers left Bodmin’s Eclipse nightclub, around 3.15am on Sunday, 30 April 2023, there was a serious altercation on Castle Canyke Road.[2] Subsequently, this led to Michael Allen, 32, being stabbed who then subsequently died at the scene.[1]
Devon and Cornwall Police received reports that someone was in possession of a knife and that multiple people had suffered stab wounds.
Seven other men and women were injured by stab wounds and taken to hospital. Injuries ranged from ‘serious’ to ‘minor’, but none were life-threatening. Five of the injured were released from hospital within 24 hours, and the remaining two remained longer in hospital to recover from surgery.[1]
Investigation
Detective Inspector Ilona Rosson from Devon and Cornwall Police’s major crime unit led the investigation team.
A 24-year-old man from Bodmin was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
No one else was sought in connection with the incident, with the police describing it as "isolated".
On 1 May 2023, police were granted by magistrates more time to question a man, 24, in connection with their murder inquiry.
Charges and Pre-Trial Matters
On 2 May 2023, a local man, Jake Hill, 24, of Jubilee Terrace, Bodmin, was charged with one count of murder, three counts of attempted murder and two counts of Section 18 causing grievous bodily harm with intent.[3]
He was held on remand and appeared before Truro Magistrates’ Court on 3 May 2023. Hill spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and no application for bail was made. No pleas were entered and magistrates said the case was indictable only and could only be dealt with by a Crown Court. He was remanded in custody ahead of an appearance at Truro Crown Court on 4 May 2023
Hill was due to appear at Truro Crown Court on 4 May 2023 after submitting an application for bail but the case was adjourned until 10am on 5 May 2023.
On 4 May 2023, His Honour Judge Robert Linford, the Honorary Recorder of Truro, condemned false reports and social media speculation, including an alleged photograph of a scenes of crime officer carrying a machete. He said that the public should refrain from discussing the case, in order to guarantee a fair trial.[4]
On 5 May 2023, Hill appeared at Truro Crown Court and was remanded in custody until 30 May 2023 for a pre-trial review when he is expected to enter a plea. A trial date was also set for 6 November 2023 with prosecutor David Maunder saying it could last for a minimum of four weeks as potentially 100 witnesses could be called to give evidence.[5]
On 30 May 2023, Hill was produced to Truro Crown Court for a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was remanded until trial on 6 November 2023.[6]
In addition on 19 June 2023, two women were arrested on suspicion of joint enterprise murder. They were taken to Charles Cross police station custody suite where they were questioned by detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team. They were formally charged the next day on 20 June 2023 and identified as Tia Taylor, 21, of Northey Road, Bodmin, and Chelsea Powell, 22, of Granny’s Green, Bodmin and subsequently appeared at Truro Magistrates’ Court.
On 11 July 2023, the three defendants appeared at Truro Crown Court and the trial date was set for 22 January 2024. The trial expected to take approximately six weeks. An application for bail was refused by the judge.
Aftermath and the local community
A tribute site was set up at Bodmin RFC, where people could gather to remember Michael Allen, pay their respects and lay flowers.[7] Alternatively, flowers could be left at Bodmin’s Shire Hall in the centre of town.
Bodmin RFC set up a community hub[8] where members of the community were able to come to ask questions, provide information and receive support from the police.
The Hole in the Wall in Bodmin, held a minute’s silence for Mr Allen on the following Sunday evening as it was a pub he used to go to often, especially with his teammates.[9]
A local football team, Bodmin Youth FC, closed its nearby ground at Coldharbour after the incident and cancelled training on the 3rd and 4th of May 2023 out of respect.[10]
References
- 1 2 3 Morris, Jonathan; Green, Alex (30 April 2023). "Bodmin murder probe: One dead, seven injured in stabbing near nightclub". BBC. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ↑ Eve, Carl; Stenson, Mary (1 May 2023). "One dead and multiple people stabbed in Bodmin". CornwallLive. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ↑ "Man, 24, charged with murder over Bodmin stabbing". BBC News. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ↑ "Judge warns of social media risk to fair trial of Bodmin murder accused". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ Vergnault, Olivier (5 May 2023). "Bodmin murder accused to face four-week trial". CornwallLive. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ "Bodmin stabbing: Jake Hill denies murder of Michael Allen". BBC News. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ↑ Letcher, Lisa (3 May 2023). "'Strange atmosphere' in town amid murder investigation". CornwallLive. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ↑ Ferguson, Emma (1 May 2023). "'Murder' victim named as police given more time to question suspect". Falmouth Packet. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ↑ Cobham, Tara (1 May 2023). "Tributes to 'absolute legend' rugby player stabbed to death near Cornwall nightclub". The Independent. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ↑ Stenson, Mary (1 May 2023). Astley, Oliver (ed.). "One dead and multiple stabbings in Cornish holiday resort". DerbyshireLive. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
