A martial arts fanatic who stabbed his accomplice to dying earlier than holding a good friend captive and driving by means of a police cordon has been jailed for all times with a minimal time period of twenty-two years.
Jason Bell42, attacked Nicole Hurley, 37, with at the least two knives at their residence in Primrose Hillnorth-west Londonin the early hours of October 10 2021.
Afterwards, Bell turned up on the home of a good friend with a big army-style knife, accused him of sleeping with Ms Hurley, and used his van to drive by means of a police tape earlier than checking himself right into a psychological well being centre.
On Thursday, Previous Bailey choose Alexia Durran sentenced Bell to life imprisonment and disqualified him from driving for 36 months upon his launch.
I needed to bury my daughter, and her youngsters needed to attend her funeral
Nicole Hurley’s father Tom
Ms Hurley’s father Tom, mentioned: “We’ve all misplaced a vastly vital a part of our household, and the thought that none of us will share our lives with Nicole ever once more, and that she is going to miss a lot of her youngsters’s lives, deeply saddens us day by day. This could by no means have occurred, and it didn’t must occur.
“I needed to bury my daughter, and her youngsters needed to attend her funeral. This received’t ever make any sense and we’ll eternally want that issues had been completely different for all of us.
“Home violence shouldn’t have any place in a contemporary, civilised society. To exert management over one other individual by profiting from their vulnerabilities, and slowly manipulating them behind the false pretence of some twisted thought of affection is likely one of the most despicable, abhorrent behaviours.
“This brutal, cowardly and harsh crime, principally however not solely perpetrated in opposition to ladies and women, should cease.”
A jury had deliberated for 3 hours and 42 minutes to search out him responsible of homicide, harmful driving and false imprisonment earlier this yr.
Beforehand, prosecutor Michelle Nelson KC mentioned the couple had been in a “tough and risky” relationship since Ms Hurley was in her teenagers.
Behind closed doorways their relationship was mentioned to be “poisonous” and Bell, who educated at a membership in martial arts, would “explode” and punch and kick Ms Hurley.
Ms Nelson mentioned the assault was witnessed by two younger folks in the home.
She went on: “It was an assault that seems to have are available in three or 4 elements and one by which Nicole Hurley sustained a number of stab wounds, the results of using multiple knife.”
In the course of the onslaught, Ms Hurley was heard to say: “J, what are you doing?” and: “J, cease”, the courtroom heard.
The defendant mentioned: “She’s accomplished an excessive amount of to me through the years. I can’t take it any extra. It’s driving me insane. I can’t come again. I’m not getting back from this.”
Ms Hurley had repeatedly requested for an ambulance to be referred to as as a result of she couldn’t breathe however Bell had taken all of the cell phones earlier than leaving the home.
Bell had stashed a rucksack containing six telephones and a bloody knife in a backyard in Victoria Mews, Maida Valenear the house of his longstanding good friend Jeremy Drewitt.
Bell then turned up at Mr Drewitt’s residence carrying a blood-stained dressing robe.
He instructed Mr Drewitt that he had stabbed Ms Hurley and claimed he would hand himself in.
He demanded to know if his good friend had slept with Ms Hurley, saying if he was not truthful it was going to finish badly earlier than producing a foot-long knife.
Ms Nelson mentioned: “Mr Drewitt pushed the defendant away when he obtained shut and tried to get out of the flat. He was frightened that he was going to be stabbed.
“The defendant was a giant man, he estimates 19 stone, and Jeremy Drewitt knew he had martial arts coaching. The defendant pushed Mr Drewitt to the ground the place he lower his hip on a vase that smashed.”
Later, Bell demanded Mr Drewitt hand over the keys to his van and he drove by means of police cordon tape.
A police officer noticed him approaching and shouted at him to “cease”, however the car stored going and she or he was pressured to maneuver behind a police automobile.
Bell finally slowed down in site visitors, giving Mr Drewitt the chance to undo his seatbelt and bounce out of the transferring car then make his method again to the cordon.
Moderately than handing himself in, Bell walked right into a psychological well being evaluation centre in St Pancras and requested to be sectioned.
Armed police went to arrest Bell on the centre and the defendant was Tasered earlier than being taken into custody.
Whereas in custody, Bell claimed Ms Hurley had instructed him she was having a child and that he was not the daddy – though jurors had been instructed she was not pregnant on the time of her dying.
In a police interview, he additionally claimed Mr Drewitt had given him permission to remain and use his van.
On the incident on the police cordon, he mentioned: “I did drive the automobile, not quick, a pace that if she (the officer) didn’t transfer, I may keep away from her. I didn’t want to hurt her. I panicked.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood mentioned: “Nicole had been making an attempt to take away herself from the connection with Bell. She had been remoted and managed as a consequence of his paranoia.
“It’s only proper that he spends appreciable years of his life in a spot the place he can now not harm the harmless.”
