Man who stabbed burglar to death avoids murder charge but found guilty of manslaughter
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA man who stabbed a burglar to death has been found guilty of manslaughter but avoided a charge of murder. Karl Townsend attacked Jordan Brophy so aggressively that two shards of a broken blade were lodged into his skull.
The 31-year-old died as a result of his injuries due to the incident in Halewood in October last year. Townsend was cleared of murder by a jury of six men and six women on Thursday (August 4) afternoon but was convicted of manslaughter by a majority of 10 to two.
The trial - which opened on what would have been Mr Brophy's 32nd birthday last month - heard how Townsend had left his home on Beechwood Avenue in order to go to his mother's house on Penmann Crescent in his Mercedes GLA shortly after 6.35pm on October 29, 2021, the Liverpool Echo reports. Read more: Crying burglar's bizarre 'ruse' when he's cornered by cops in house goes completely wrong Meanwhile, his property was left empty as Townsend's girlfriend Amelia Rigby was walking the dog with the couple's three-year-old child.
Mr Brophy soon arrived at the property in a Mercedes A-Class in a convoy of three vehicles. Alongside two accomplices, he smashed through a rear door to gain entry while a getaway driver lay in wait.
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