Gang jailed for 125 years after 'senseless killing' of Mark Noke in Southampton
A gang who plotted a robbery which led to the death of a family man who was "only ever kind" have been jailed for a combined total of more than 125 years.
Mark Noke, 64, suffered a fatal stab to his right lung when he opened the door of his flat in Warburton Road, Southampton, Hampshire, on 25 February last year, to find a group of men wearing masks.
The trial at Winchester Crown Court, of five men charged with his murder, heard that Mr Noke was threatened with a gun to his head before he was stabbed.
Kieran Thomas Claffey, 29, Leighton James Tabone, 24, and Justin Lee Roach, 40, were all found guilty of murder.
Bradley James O'Dell, 22, and Aaron Paul Dean Morgan, 32, were both convicted of manslaughter.
Sentencing them, judge Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said: "It was clear [Mark Noke] was kind, much loved and cherished."
DI Howard Broadribb, who oversaw the Major Crime investigation, said: "This case resulted from the senseless killing of Mark Noke.
"He had done nothing to deserve the mindless and abhorrent violence he was met with on that night in February last year, and my thoughts are with his family.
"They have shown great courage throughout this process and our investigation team have worked tirelessly to piece together the movements of those involved, and seek to provide some justice for Mark's family.
"Although no sentence will ever be able to return Mark to them, nor fill the void left by his death, I hope knowing each of the people involved is now in jail will provide them some closure."
Roach had dressed as a pizza delivery man to gain entry to the flats where Mr Noke lived in Warburton Road.
However, they took a wrong turn and instead of going to their intended target, ended up forcing their way in to Mr Noke's flat, demanding to know the whereabouts of a man and woman.
The group had been searching for £30,000 in cash and two kilograms of cannabis.
Mr Noke, who had no previous criminal history, had a gun pointed at his head and was stabbed in the chest, before the group fled the scene.
Having managed to call 999, Mr Noke was unable to be saved and was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
At the beginning of the trial, Claffey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery while the jury convicted the other four of the same offence.
Two further men had already pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit robbery, but did not attend the flats themselves to participate in it.
Daniel Alexander Bull, 31, of Valentine Avenue, Southampton, and Harley Wilson, 21, of International Way, Southampton pleaded guilty before the trial.
A comprehensive investigation by Hampshire Police's Major Crime team saw:
818 statements taken
873 hours of CCTV footage reviewed
3,585 exhibits documented
394 officers involved in the investigation
520 house to house visits
145 mobile phones or SIM cards recovered & examined
An estimated 38,342 hours of overall police work
14 weeks from murder to charge of seven defendants who have been remanded in HMP since 8 June 2023
Tabone, of no fixed abode, O'Dell, of Blendworth Lane, Southampton, Morgan, of no fixed abode, and Road, of Steep Close, Southampton, had all pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery, but were found guilty by a jury after a seven-week trial.
Claffey, of Keynsham Road, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, but denied murder and manslaughter.
The judge jailed Tabone and Roach for life with a minimum of 27 years, and Claffey for life with a minimum of 29 years.
O'Dell was jailed for 15 years, Bull for eight years and Wilson for seven and a half years.
DI Howard Broadribb added: "The five men jailed today are all equally as liable as each other.
"Together they planned to commit robbery, and went mob-handed; expecting to use their power in numbers were they to be met with resistance.
"It was together they armed themselves with a knife and a gun, intending serious harm in order to get their way and steal the money and drugs they were seeking.
"And it was together they showed no remorse, instead making great efforts to evade being identified by deleting phone messages, discarding phones and selling the car they used within days.
"Together they thought they had done enough to evade capture, and avoid the accountability for the life they had taken."
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