Last Defendant Acquitted of Manslaughter in Six-Man Trial

The final individual among six men on trial, accused of killing a man who was strangled to death in his residence, has been found not guilty of manslaughter. Ian Staves was discovered deceased at his home in Cherry Lane, Wootton, North Lincolnshire, on September 12, 2022, having been killed the night before. Bobby Gibson, 20, of Woodcock Street, Hull, was cleared of murder on Tuesday and subsequently acquitted of the lesser charge of manslaughter on Wednesday. On the preceding Tuesday, the other five defendants were all cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter following a four-week trial. A sentencing date for all six men has been scheduled for Friday at Bradford Crown Court. Two of the men, Patrick and Jamie Smith, had previously admitted to a charge of conspiracy to burgle. The jury also returned guilty verdicts for this charge against the other four defendants. All six men are awaiting sentencing for these offenses. Forensic pathologist Dr. Christopher Johnson informed Bradford Crown Court that there was strong evidence indicating Mr. Staves’ neck had been “forcibly compressed.” Prosecutor Tom Storey KC had previously told the court that, leading up to the killing, the defendants had exchanged multiple messages and conducted a “reconnaissance trip” to Mr. Staves’ home. Three men were later captured on CCTV at the address, with a fourth observed entering the driveway of a neighboring property. Jurors were informed that Mr. Staves was a cocaine user and had been under police investigation for involvement in controlled drugs at the time of his death. “Whatever lay behind the attack, nothing justifies what happened to Mr Staves,” Mr. Storey told the court.