21 September 2022

Man jailed for life for murder of neighbour over motorbike noise

21 September 2022

An “isolated man” who stabbed his neighbour to death after becoming annoyed by motorbike noise outside his house has been jailed for at least 28 years for his murder.

Jamie Crosbie, 48, used two knives and a saw to kill father-of-three Dean Allsop, stabbing him 17 times in their street in Thorpe St Andrew near Norwich after hearing engine noise from Mr Allsop’s son’s motorbike.

Two women who tried to help 41-year-old Mr Allsop – his partner Louise Newell and their friend and neighbour Kerryn Kray, formerly Kerryn Johnson – were also attacked by Crosbie.

Judge Anthony Bate, sentencing at Norwich Crown Court, told Crosbie: “I regard you as a very dangerous man.”

He sentenced Crosbie to life in prison with a minimum term of 28 years, which is the amount of time he must serve behind bars before he can be considered for release.

The balding defendant stared straight ahead throughout Wednesday’s sentence hearing, bouncing his left knee up and down, and he showed no reaction as he was led to the cells.

Dean Allsop, who was murdered by Jamie Crosbie last April (Family photo/ PA) (PA Media)

Crosbie was found guilty of murdering Mr Allsop following an earlier 12-day trial.

He was also convicted of the wounding with intent of Ms Newell and Ms Kray, and he admitted three counts of possessing an offensive weapon.

Mr Allsop, of Primrose Crescent in Thorpe St Andrew, Norfolk, was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.18pm on April 14 last year.

His partner Ms Newell said in a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Andrew Jackson: “I will never forgive Crosbie for what he did to my family.”

She added: “I hope he’s never released.”

Mr Jackson said that Crosbie had previously been convicted of causing actual bodily harm in 2013.

On this occasion Crosbie punched a security guard at a Job Centre where he had gone to complain about his benefits entitlement and was asked to leave, Mr Jackson said.

Crosbie was convicted in 2018 of criminal damage and possessing a knife over an incident when he threatened Mr Allsop with a knife and hammer after Mr Allsop put some rubbish in his wheelie bin, Mr Jackson said.

The barrister said Crosbie had made threats, to his supervising probation officer, to kill Mr Allsop while he was serving a suspended sentence for the 2018 offences.

Mr Jackson said there “can be no dispute” that at the time of the murder Crosbie was “suffering from a mental disability”, which was described by a psychiatrist as a “delusional disorder”.

He said it did “not extinguish” the defendant’s culpability.

Mr Jackson said Crosbie said he had drunk around a bottle and a half of wine before the killing.

Judge Anthony Bate told Crosbie: “You’re aptly described as an isolated man living alone.”

He said the defendant had mental health issues and was “complying poorly with prescribed medication in the community”.

“You showed callous indifference to Dean’s fate after he had been repeatedly stabbed,” the judge said.

“You left him bleeding on the ground and made no attempt to summon help.”

He said that, in police bodycam footage, Crosbie said the “chilling words” to officers who arrested him on suspicion of murder: “That makes me happy, that’s a good thing, that’s the best news I ever heard.”

Elizabeth Marsh KC, defending Crosbie, said he had expressed remorse since he had been taking medication in custody.

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