Teenager guilty of murder after trying to dispose body in wheelie bin filled with sulphuric acid
Watch: report by ITV News Meridian's Kit Bradshaw
A Kent teenager has been found guilty of murdering a 38-year-old man in what detectives say was a "drugs deal gone wrong".
Stephen Chapman died after being stabbed in the head, at a property in Rochester last October. George Knights, from the town, had denied killing the father - and then trying to destroy his remains.
George Knight attended a house party hours after stabbing a man to death.
Stephen Chapman, a father-of-five from Chatham, was killed on the evening of Friday, 23rd of October last year.
Mr Chapman had come to George Knights' home in Rochester to sell him cocaine. He never left the property alive.
Knights stabbed the 38-year-old in the head and then tried to dispose of his body in a wheelie bin, by filling it with sulphuric acid.
Within 24 hours of Stephen Chapman's disappearance, police began to close in on the murderer.
He was reluctant to give officers his details when they called but did confirm he'd met Mr Chapman on the day he vanished.
Listen to part of the call here:
The next day, concerned friends gained entry to Knights's home, prompting him to call 999 saying people broke into his house.
After fleeing his property, detectives arrived and found blood stained clothing, a significant quantity of illegal drugs, Mr Chapman's mobile phone and bank card, along with the wheelie bin containing his remains.
Detective Chief Inspector Gavin Moss, Kent Police
The 19-year-old, self-styled body builder who has a tattoo of a snake and dagger on his neck, denied murder and claimed in court that he'd acted in self defence. However, he was convicted by a jury in Maidstone, following a three-week trial.
Stephen Chapman was known as Ginger to his friends and family.
His sister, Lisa, told ITV News Meridian: "Our family would like to thank everybody involved in helping get justice for my brother. We've been left broken… and this can't be fixed. Ginger will be missed by so many and will forever live on in his five children."
Detectives say Knights is an incredibly dangerous individual.
He'll be sentenced in September.