Man jailed after stabbing his brother to death in Blyth street

A murderer who stabbed his brother in the street eight times and left him to bleed to death has been jailed.

James Rutherford knifed his half-sibling Gary Wilkie in Blyth, Northumberland, and told him "hope you die" as he lay screaming after the attack.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Rutherford had taken a cocktail of heroin, cocaine, diazepam and cannabis before he went to the pair's grandmother's house in the early hours to look for Mr Wilkie, who had taken his phone and £160 in cash from him.

As the pair walked through Blyth, Rutherford pulled out a knife and stabbed his half-brother all over his body.

The attack, which happened in August 2022, was caught on a doorbell camera.

The court heard after the attack, Rutherford hid the knife and asked a resident through their letter box to call an ambulance.

The 35-year-old, of no fixed address, admitted murder and possessing a blade.

He was jailed for life at Newcastle Crown Court last week, which can only be reported now after reporting restrictions were lifted.

Rutherford will serve at least 17-and-a-half years in prison before he has a chance of parole.

The court heard the pair had the same mother and were brought up together, even being described as close to one another.

Prosecutor David Lamb KC said the attack started at 3:42am and Mr Wilkie was conscious for 20 minutes afterwards.

The murder was witnessed by a number of people in the street, including one woman who said she heard Rutherford say she would stab Gary in the kidney.

Mr Lamb said Mr Wilkie "had an awareness his injuries were life-threatening" after the attack.

The 46-year-old lost consciousness and stopped breathing at the scene and despite being treated efforts of an air ambulance doctor was pronounced dead at 4:34am.

Toby Hedworth KC, mitigating, said Rutherford was remorseful and said he accepted the "enormity" of his actions.

He added: "He has to live with the knowledge that not only has he taken the life of his brother, to whom he was close, but he has taken the life of his mother's son."

Following the hearing, Mr Wilkie's family said in a statement: “We are totally devastated about what has happened.

“This has been a very distressing time, and we would appreciate it if our privacy could be respected.”

Detective Chief Inspector David Johnson, of Northumbria Police, said: “The last six months have been incredibly difficult for Gary’s family and our thoughts remain with them. We will continue to offer them any support they need.

“This is another tragic case that highlights the irreversible and devastating consequences of carrying a knife and I hope it sends out a strong message to all our communities.

“I would like to thank the victim’s family and the wider community for their support and cooperation throughout this investigation, as well as a team of detectives who worked diligently to pull together a strong prosecution case.

“It was imperative that Rutherford had his day in court and we will continue to pursue perpetrators of knife crime and ensure they are brought to justice.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...