3 days Ago By [email protected] (Esther Halligan)
A 28-year-old man has been jailed for 15 years for stabbing his former pal in the heart. Adam Mackintosh was "looking for confrontation" when he squared up to Lloyd Donkin, 23, in the middle of a Stockton street, which saw children playing nearby. Mackintosh had a knife tucked into the waistband of his shorts.
Mr Donkin punched Mackintosh a few times, on Stainmore Close and tried to kick the knife out of Mackintosh's hands. But he then plunged his knife into Mr Donkin's chest - a neighbour who saw the attack testified it was with "a single thrust". Mr Donkin initially tried to chase Mackintosh, before he collapsed on the street.
Neighbours tried to help him stem the bleeding with a towel, but Mr Donkin died shortly afterwards. Mackintosh drove away without calling an ambulance. He flung his t-shirt and knife into the River Tees, Teesside Crown Court has heard.
The items have never been found. On Thursday, Mackintosh was composed as he stood in the dock awaiting his sentencing at the Middlesbrough court. He was found guilty of manslaughter, but acquitted of murder - by a majority jury, after a two week trial.
The court heard moving statements - one written by Ashley Donkin, Mr Donkin's mum, and another read out by Eden Hollis - his partner. Mum-of-three Ashley Donkin said that she " will never be able to erase the memory of walking down the hospital corridor, towards the mortuary, with my family holding me up." She said that she will now never see Lloyd getting married and having his own home.
"O ur hearts are broken," she said. "I believe that a broken heart is actually a physical thing. I can feel the pain in my heart everyday.
” She continued: “Our family’s loss is so devastating and painful. Lloyd was a beautiful and kind son, grandson, uncle, nephew and partner. "Lloyd was a big presence in the room, his hugs were strong.
He would video call me everyday, ending each call with ‘love you.’ “He was protective of all of us. At Christmas, I always bought three of everything for my three sons.
This year I can only buy two. Lloyd’s chair at the table will be empty." Eden Hollis broke down in tears as she told the court that "Lloyd loved my daughters like his own".
She said: "Since Lloyd has been taken I feel nothing but emptiness. I’m a shell of my former self, I’m sad and I am lonely." She told the court that her boyfriend would "light up an empty room" and described him as a "gentle giant".
"He made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world- I found the happiness I had wanted for so long," Eden said. “I miss the noise, the laughter and the happiness in our home. My daughters miss him every day.
"He is now their favourite star in the sky. I have to try and be strong without him and when they ask me where he is and they cry for him, it is heartbreaking." Judge Jonathan Carroll told Mackintosh that he had "harboured anger and frustration" after an incident on February 14, when the two friends had fallen out.
" There was violence between you and you came out worse off. You were determined to show Lloyd Donkin that you were not afraid of him. "You continued to make offers to fight Lloyd and to seek out revenge.
On June 26 the opportunity you had been wanting presented itself. I accept that Mr Donkin’s reaction to seeing you was one of anger. You wanted the confrontation that was developing.
“You thrust your knife in a single blow into Mr Donkin’s chest. Death was all but inevitable from that moment. This was motivated by something as petty as your desire for revenge.
" Mackintosh, of Coral Grove in Thornaby , was jailed for 15-years. He will serve two-thirds of the sentence, before he is eligible for release. For daily news from Teesside's courts direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free court newsletter Teesside Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through the app, we'll send you the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone. To join our community group, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select 'Join Community' .
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Teesside Live team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . Click here to join our WhatsApp community .
.
