Two men accused of South Ham murder found not guilty on all charges

David John Henwood, 34, also known as David Brewer, and Kasey Wayne Rolfe, 37, stood trial charged with the murder, and also manslaughter, of 41-year-old Jason Williams in South Ham on February 20.

However, after a three-week trial, the jury retired late on Wednesday afternoon to begin deliberations.

During the trial, the jury heard from the prosecution that DNA on the alleged murder weapon belonged to Mr Williams, and prosecutor Matthew Jewell referenced the journey of Henwood’s van, which had a tracker on it and so the prosecution was able to plot the co-defendant’s movements.

The prosecution claimed that on the night of February 19, the defendants planned to rob Mr Williams of both drugs and money. The knife, allegedly supplied by Rolfe, was intended to be used to kill or seriously injure Mr Williams, the prosecution said.

However, defence counsel for both Henwood and Rolfe claimed that the pair were not in the alleyway off Margaret Road, where Mr Williams body was found the night of the alleged murder.

Defending Henwood, William Mousely, said that his had denied being at the scene of the attack, despite an arrangement for a drug deal to take place, as he was scared off after seeing “four geezers” who he thought were undercover police officers.

James Newton-Price, defending Rolfe, told the jury there is clear evidence his client was not at the scene. He said: “Kasey Rolfe did not stab the victim, nobody said that he did. The prosecution accepts he was not the man who stabbed Mr Williams.”

Mr Williams’ body was found in an alleyway off of Margaret Road, South Ham, in the early hours of February 20. His death was determined to be caused by a single stab wound to the chest.

Henwood, of Edmund Court, and Rolfe, of no fixed abode, both denied all charges.

After more than 11 hours of deliberation, the jury returned a majority verdict and found the pair not guilty of all counts.

See this week’s Gazette for the full story.