Man jailed for Chester manslaughter

A man from Chester's been given a 10 year jail sentence for the manslaughter of Fynn Western-Davey.

35 year old Jason Darren Howells, formerly of Balmoral Park, Chester, was found guilty of manslaughter by way of provocation of the 22 year old.

He was jailed for a further two years for drugs offences making a total sentence of 12 years.

Cheshire Police were called home of Jason Howells and Nicola Bishop at Balmoral Park in January following a 999 call made by Nicola Bishop.  She walked free from court last week after a judge said she had no case to answer.  

Police say that found Fynn Western-Davey slumped on the kitchen floor with blood pouring from a wound in his chest.

Forensic examination by pathologists determined that Fynn had died at the scene having sustained a 14cm deep stab wound to his chest inflicted by a kitchen knife.

The Court heard that Howells, a regular user of Class A drugs such as crack cocaine, had made contact with a drug dealer from the Merseyside area and agreed to bring cocaine and heroin from Birkenhead for sale in Chester to fund his own drug habit and lifestyle.

This criminal business venture led to Howells owing a substantial debt to the Merseyside dealer. In an effort to try and deal his way out of debt, Howells received greater quantities of drugs from Merseyside and approached Fynn Western-Davey for help.

Fynn had a violent reputation and was known locally to be involved in the supply of controlled drugs. Instead of assisting Howells in his drug dealing , Fynn arranged for the drugs to be stolen.

On the evening of Saturday 23rd January 2010, Fynn had gone to the home of Jason Howells and Nicola Bishop after they had discovered their stash of drugs were missing.

At that time Howells and Bishop challenged Fynn, accusing him of stealing the drugs from their house. Howells armed himself with a knife, which he then used to stab Fynn through the chest causing a fatal injury to his heart.

A jury at Chester Crown Court took two days to decided that Jason Howells guilty of manslaughter by way of provocation.

Judge Teare handed Jason Howells a 10 year custodial sentence with a further 2 years for drugs offences with a minimum of 6 years before he can apply for parole.

Detective Inspector Andy Harris who led the Police investigation said :  “This case serves to illustrate the potential consequences of the kind of lifestyle that was led by the defendant and by the victim, which in this instance has led to a devastating conclusion and the loss of a young life.

"It is greed and the attraction of gaining perceived wealth through dealing controlled drugs that has led to the murder of a man in the prime of his life.

"Evidence of drug use and distribution by the defendant and the victim has formed an integral part of this investigation, and it is clear that drug debts were the primary motive behind the murder of Fynn Western-Davey.

"I a dispute over drug debt and the theft of a stash of drugs, the defendant armed himself with a knife and stabbed Fynn ending his life.

"This is the harsh reality and the consequences of leading this kind of lifestyle; my thoughts and sympathy lie with the family and friends of Fynn and I hope that todays conviction will help bring about a degree of closure for them”
 
Inspector Ian Thorp of Chester Neighbourhood Policing Team said “This investigation did not end when Howells was charged.

"Intelligence from the investigation and drugs recovered from searches of properties associated with the victim and the defendant led to arrests of other individuals believed to be actively involved in drug activity in our community.

"Our aim is to disrupt and dismantle the activities of those actively involved in drug dealing in Chester.

"Illegal drug use will not be tolerated by Cheshire Police and we will do our utmost to bring those involved to justice.”

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