R v Barstow and Fletcher
June 18, 2019
Peter Makepeace QC leading Aisha Wadoodi prosecuted the defendants who were both indicted for Murder.
On the 26th of December 2018, Mr Barnes was murdered by the defendants Barstow and Fletcher. The murder took place in Mr Fletchers flat.
There is 11 minutes of mobile phone footage which revealed that by early evening Mr Barnes had received a severe beating and was utterly helpless on the floor.
Both defendants laugh and chat throughout the ordeal of the victim and suggest several times putting him in a beck. They laughed that the flat looked like a murder scene. They humiliated and assualted him constantly. He had in total 105 sites of injury.
It was apparent that the whole ordeal had apparently lasted 3 hours.
The Crown made submissions to the sentencing Judge that the tariff should start at 30 years, given the sadistic manner in which the victim had been killed.
The Judge accepted the Crowns submissions. Barstow received a sentence of 26 and half years imprisonment and Fletcher 25 years. Media coverage can be found here
