Father and son guilty of chasing thief with a 27-inch ninja sword and stabbing him to death

The two had actively chased the thief with weapons

A father and son who chased a thief with a 27-inch ninja sword have been found guilty of his murder. David King, 55, and 19-year-old Edward King, 19, killed Neil Charles after he'd attempted to burgle properties and vehicles in St Edmunds, Suffolk. Police received an emergency call from David King around 3.55am on June 20, 2021 claiming that a man had attempted to break into his car on the Moreton Hall estate. King admitted he'd injured the man with a knife while trying to apprehend him. Police found King away from his home, where the stabbing had taken place, and Charles injured with a severe stab wound to the chest. King was arrested that morning and his son later that day. Charles died in hospital on June 22, with a post-mortem revealing that he died of a 12cm stab wound to the chest. Police later learned the situation had played out differently from what King had claimed. The father and son had been alerted by CCTV of a potential thief, armed themselves, then sought vigilante justice. David King wielded a double-edged knife, while his son brandished a 27-inch ninja sword which he used to slash the tyre of Charles's pushbike which he had left at the scene. The two had actively chased the thief, dealing the final blow "some distance" from their property. Further investigation shed light on a "fascination with weapons" and "a clear intent and desire to deal with any perceived criminals themselves", police said. https://twitter.com/SuffolkPolice/status/1531295031444885506 Ipswitch Crown Court was told that both men denied killing Charles intentionally. The prosecution argued that their actions pointed only to "an act of vigilantism." The men have been remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date. Related links:

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