A father and son have been handed life in prison by a UK court after a serial criminal died after attempting to rob them.
David King and Edward King, a father and son duo, were handed life sentences by the Ipswich Crown Court on Monday after being found guilty of the vigilante killing of Neil Charles, a serial thief with several previous convictions for burglary and theft.
Charles had allegedly been trying to steal a car or belongings belonging to the Kings which was parked outside their house in Bury St Edmunds and according to police had “tried” several car door handles and home doors in the neighbourhood that evening. The father-son pair, armed with bladed weapons and alerted to the presence of the thief by their home CCTV cameras, decided to confront the man.
The would-be thief reportedly sustained a number of injuries and his bicycle tyre was punctured while escaping the pair, with David King said to have inflicted one stab wound to the criminal’s chest that reportedly resulted in the man’s death two days later.
Both men have subsequently been found guilty of murder, with a jury unanimously agreeing with the prosecution that “the two men had actively gone out together to hunt down and attack Mr Charles in what can only be described as an act of vigilantism.”
The force also reportedly described the death of Charles as being “tragic”, while denouncing the actions and attitude of both David and Edward King in the wake of the criminal’s demise.
Suffolk police described the two men as having “a fascination with weapons”, citing angry messages the pair shared with one another after a car belonging to the family had its wheels stolen as evidence the pair had “a clear intent and desire to deal with any perceived criminals themselves”.
“David and Edward King have shown arrogance and contempt throughout,” Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Karl Nightingale is reported as saying. “At no point have they shown any hint of genuine remorse or humility for their actions, convincing themselves they did nothing wrong at all.”
David King will now serve a minimum of 21 years behind bars, while 20-year-old Edward will be jailed without parole for a minimum of 19.