Daniel Boulton found guilty of murdering ex-partner and her son in Louth

A man who walked 28 miles before stabbing his ex-partner and her nine-year-old son to death at their home in Lincolnshire has been found guilty of murder.

A jury took just over two hours to convict Daniel Boulton, who had admitted killing 26-year-old Bethany Vincent and Darren Henson in Louth, but denied their murders.

The 30-year-old will be sentenced on Wednesday.

The court had heard how Boulton walked from Skegness to Ms Vincent's home at High Holme Road, Louth, on 31 May last year.

He loitered outside for several hours before "brutally" stabbing her and Darren to death.

Boulton had admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds he was suffering from a dissocial personality disorder that substantially impaired his ability to exercise self-control.

He claimed he was "like a robot" when he carried out the attack and was not in control of his behaviour.

At the start of his trial, the prosecution told the jury Boulton's relationship with Ms Vincent began in March 2019 but he had become increasingly violent towards her and her family.

Following a complaint to police in November 2019 Boulton was ordered not to contact her but repeatedly broke his restraining order.

The weekend before the attack he sent nearly 900 messages to Ms Vincent on Facebook that she did not reply to.

The prosecution said Boulton had also developed a "boiling hatred" for Darren, who was not his son. The nine-year-old, also known as DJ, had been diagnosed with autism and the trial heard how Boulton had resented DJ and "wanted him out of the way". He was said to have threatened to "wipe out the blood line of her [Ms Vincent's] family".

When police arrived at the property after the attack they found Ms Vincent in the front room and Darren lying on the floor in his bedroom.

They also found a nine-month old baby in the house "untouched and unharmed but clearly distressed".

Jurors heard that after the attack Boulton spent the night on the run, breaking into an empty cottage at Hubbards Hills, on the outskirts of Louth, where he stole some alcohol, clothing and food and left a note saying "I, Daniel Boulton, take full responsibility".

The next day he assaulted off-duty police officer PC Stephen Dennis, who was walking his dog near Hubbards Hill, Louth, and who tried to detain him before he fled again.

Boulton, of Alexandra Road, Skegness, was later cornered on a farm and tasered after trying to get some of the armed officers to shoot him, the court heard.

After the verdict, the judge Mr Justice Pepperall told Boulton: "You have been convicted on this indictment of the brutal murders of Bethany Vincent and her nine-year-old son.

"There is one sentence in law that I can pass and that will be a sentence of life imprisonment on both counts."