Four jailed after man chased down and murdered in 'public execution' in front of crowd

Andre Gayle, 29, was murdered in an attack in Bristol. He had six young children.

Four people have been jailed for more than 90 years after a man was murdered in a "public execution" in Bristol.

Andre Gayle was chased through Easton and stabbed nine times in front of a crowd who had gathered for a silent disco. His father compared the crime to a "public execution".

The 29-year-old, who had six young children, died in hospital days after the attack, which happened close to Easton Community Centre just after 3am on Monday 31 August last year.

Police have since said he "did not stand a chance".

Rico Corbin, aged 28, of Speedwell; Tyan Finlayson, aged 28, also of Speedwell, and 17-year-old Kymani Ennis of Fishponds - who can be named for the first time after legal restrictions were lifted - were found guilty of murder following a trial.

Left to right: Jerome Lewis, Kymani Ennis, Rico Corbin and Tyan Finlayson. Credit: Avon and Somerset Police

Jerome Lewis, 25, from London, had pleaded guilty to murder at an earlier hearing.

At Bristol Crown Court on Monday 5 July, Corbin was sentenced to a minimum of 26 years in prison; Lewis a minimum of 25 years, Finlayson a minimum of 23 years and Ennis a minimum of 17 years.

Following the hearing, senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Roger Doxsey, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said the sentences reflect the "shocking nature" of the crime.

“It was a pre-planned group act, carried out in front of a large crowd, in which large knives were used to kill Andre as he fled for his life," he said.

  • CCTV shows men chase Andre through crowd of people

"They showed no mercy in taking the life of a father of six young children and the consequences have been devastating for Andre’s family, loved-ones, and the wider community."

He added: “We’ll continue to persistently target those people that carry and use knives on our streets so we can help prevent others from going through the immense pain that Andre’s family have had to endure.

“I’d like to reiterate that we were overwhelmed by the volume of supportive information from the community in this case and we’re so grateful for that. We need our communities to continue telling us what they know – every report helps us to build a clearer picture of what is happening and where, so that we can target our responses effectively.”