Manager murdered by irate employee at Rotherham warehouse was getting ready for retirement
A FedEx sub-contractor who stabbed a manager to death after he’d been told he was being suspended from work has been found guilty of murder.
Ronald Sekanjako flew into a rage after being told he was under investigation and attacked manager Philip David Woodcock at a Rotherham warehouse when he came to try and help calm the situation.
Sekanjako had been called to a meeting with one of the warehouse managers on the morning of 2 November 2022, following concerns he had been filling up his work van with fuel at a local petrol station without having the means to pay.
Sekanjako objected to these allegations and became irate, at which point Mr Woodcock came to try and help.
A jury at Sheffield Crown Court was told that as Mr Woodcock took Sekanjako into his office to try to speak to him. Sekanjako slammed the door closed behind him, before stabbing Mr Woodcock in the chest with a knife he had hidden in a jumper he was carrying.
Officers later found a second knife concealed by Sekanjako in the office and a hammer concealed down his sock.Despite best efforts of colleagues at the FedEx warehouse on Rother Way in Hellaby, as well as police and ambulance staff, Mr Woodcock was pronounced deceased at the scene.
A post mortem examination later concluded that he died as a result of a stab wound to his heart.Following a trial which started on 6 November, Sekanjako, 49, of Bellhouse Road, was found guilty of murder, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and three counts of possession of an offensive weapon. The jury deliberated for just two and a half hours.Mr Woodcock's family paid tribute to him, saying he was looking forward to his retirement. They said: "After a long and distinguished career, Phil was readying himself for quieter days away from the hustle and bustle of work. He was looking forward to a long and happy retirement, spending days with his wife and wider network of family and friends, doing all the things he'd planned to do."On 2 November 2022, all of our lives changed forever through a senseless act, the circumstances of which have haunted us as a family and many others since that day. We are tormented by imagining what our loving husband, dad and brother would have felt during his final moments; trapped, helpless and terrified."Our family has been left with a void that it is impossible to fill. He was snatched away from us in the prime of his life, doing what he did most - helping others. As a family, we ask that our privacy remains respected as we seek to continue to come to terms with the immense loss of losing Phil.”Detective Inspector Simon Cartwright, Senior Investigating Officer in the case, said: “While the guilty verdicts will not bring Philip back to his family, I hope the end of the trial brings some closure to all who knew and loved him.“Sekanjako has shown no remorse throughout the whole investigation and trial, and as a result, Philip’s family have had to hear the details of the tragic circumstances of how he came to lose his life played out throughout the course of the trial.“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the witnesses in this case, who have provided crucial evidence as part of the trial, and I am grateful for their support throughout.“Philip went to work that day as he usually did, and never came home. No family should have to go through what Philip’s family went through, and no one should go to work and see their colleague lose their life in this way.“This case lies bare the heartbreaking implications of knife crime and my message today to those intent on carrying knives is clear – drop the knife before you do irreparable damage, and further lives are lost and ruined forever.”Sekanjako will further appear before Sheffield Crown Court on 13 November for sentencing.