Gang who killed man after botched robbery sentenced

A group of men have been sentenced for their role in a botched robbery resulting in the death of a man in a tragic case of mistaken identity.

Kieran Claffey, 29, Leighton Tabone, 24, Bradley O’Dell, 22, Aaron Morgan, 32, and Justin Roach, 40, killed Mark Noke, 64, after attempting to rob the wrong address in Southampton on 25 February 2023.

At Winchester Crown Court, Claffey, Tabone, Roach, O’Dell and Morgan were sentenced to a combined minimum total of 113 years imprisonment for their roles in the death of Mr Noke.

Daniel Bull and Harley Wilson, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, were also sentenced to eight years and seven years and six months imprisonment respectively.

All defendants denied that they had been the one to harm Mr Noke.

However, CPS prosecutors successfully proved that all five men were responsible for the death of Mr Noke, with Claffey, Tabone and Roach being convicted of murder and Morgan and O’Dell being convicted of manslaughter.

The defendants had attended the block of flats where Mr Noke lived with the intention of robbing a neighbour of drugs, cash and jewellery.

The group forced their way into Mr Noke’s flat, before threatening him with a gun.

They then stabbed Mr Noke when he was unable to produce the valuables they were looking for.

Mr Noke called emergency services himself, however he tragically succumbed to his injuries less than an hour later.

His cause of death was determined to be a single stab wound to the chest.

Anthony Johns, a Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: “This was a completely senseless killing of an innocent man, who should have been safe in his own home.

“Working closely with Hampshire Police, the CPS utilised a combination of witness testimonies, CCTV, recovered text messages and DNA evidence to piece together the events of that tragic night.

“This meant that in court, we were able to prove that all five defendants were culpable for the death of Mr Noke – for whom we were determined to achieve justice.

“I would like to pay tribute to the family of Mr Noke, who have conducted themselves with dignity throughout these proceedings and our thoughts and deepest condolences remain with them.”