A murderer who shouted “f*cking Irish c*nt” as he wielded two knives to stab an Irishman and his sister, killing one, has been sentenced to 23 years.
Keith Nelson, 51, (pictured) was found guilty at the Old Bailey on Thursday of the murder of Alfred Purcell, 31, in East London in June last year.
He also stabbed the victim’s sister, Connie Purcell, in the breast as she attempted to intervene, receiving 18 months for gross bodily harm (GBH) as a result — but will effectively serve no time for the crime, as the term will run concurrently with his murder sentence.
The court heard how Nelson had reportedly been involved in a dispute, and when they met again on the 26th of June another dispute ensued, before Nelson returned home to arm himself with a pair of blades.
He then attacked Mr. Purcell, fatally stabbing him in the chest and injuring his sister. He made off on foot as Mr. Purcell died from his injuries.
As the two men clashed in the park Mr. Nelson reportedly shouted, “I’ll stab you up you f*cking Irish c*nt,” before the victim responded: “F*ck off you black c*nt.”
“This was an attack committed out of a desire for revenge,” said Brian O’Neill prosecuting.
“Although not long in the planning, it was premeditated because Mr. Nelson went home, armed himself with two weapons and came back out onto the street for the very purpose of finding Alfie Purcell and avenging him [sic].”
Mr. Purcell and a young son had recently moved from Cork City, in southern Ireland, to join his sister in London.
Jailing him, Judge Rebecca Poulet QC told him: “It is very rare to have such clear CCTV of a killing.
“It demonstrates — categorically, I am afraid, Mr. Nelson — that this was not an act of self-defence as you contended in your trial.
“There can be no avoiding the fact that you had gone home to fetch those two knives.
“You could have easily avoided the situation had you turned away when you saw Connie [Purcell] in the street as I know you had done. This was an act of revenge.”
The case unfolds around the same time as U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted the fact that London has become a “war zone” for knife crime.