Lincolnshire Police praise Bourne community after two found guilty of manslaughter of Stamford man Kyle Marshall
Police officers have said ‘there is no reason to carry a knife’ after two people were convicted of manslaughter.
Reece Bruns, of St Paul’s Gardens in Bourne, used a machete to strike Kyle Marshall when the pair confronted each other at Wellhead Park on June 26 last year.
The 21-year-old told jurors at Lincoln Crown Court he had lashed out in self-defence, fearing for his life – but jurors judged he had intended to cause Kyle some degree of harm.
Bruns had been passed the weapon by a 17-year-old youth who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Court officials heard there had been a number of disagreements between Bruns and Mr Marshall, 37, from Stamford in the lead-up to the incident.
But animosity between the pair had reached new heights after Bruns allegedly attacked Mr Marshall’s brother-in-law at a beer festival, the court heard.
Their bad blood spilled over when the pair encountered each other at the park and a physical altercation took place.
Bruns used a machete to stab Mr Marshall before leaving the scene alongside the youth. Mr Marshall soon died from his injuries.
The incident triggered a lengthy investigation by Lincolnshire Police which saw investigators erect a scene guard and comb the park and nearby areas for evidence.
Around 100 people within the community were spoken to as officers tried to piece together what had happened during the confrontation.
Despite extensive searches, the weapon was never discovered – but mobile phone evidence proved crucial.
A phone belonging to the youth defendant was seized as part of enquiries carried out by officers and this revealed videos and pictures that helped build a timeline of events.
A four-week trial into the case began in February before concluding today.
Both Bruns and the youth had been charged with murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Burns had denied the charges before being found guilty of manslaughter and the second offence.
The youth who handed Bruns the weapon was also convicted of manslaughter, as well as the possession of a blade article in a public place offence.
The pair have been remanded into custody and will now be sentenced at a later hearing on May 16.
Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer Lovatt paid tribute to those who contributed to the investigation and thanked the community for their patience and cooperation throughout.
She said: “It was a huge investigation which saw us speak to a significant number of witnesses.
“It was one of the hottest days of the year and as a result there were a lot of people around when it happened.
“We spoke to around 100 people – which we needed to do as there was no CCTV that captured the actual incident.
“It was a horrific and traumatic incident which a number of people witnessed, including Kyle’s family who we’d like to extend our deepest condolences to.
“I would also really like to thank the community for their understanding throughout the initial stages of the investigation as I appreciate it will have caused disruption.
“As part of this investigation we found videos and images of young people glamourising knives and weapons on mobile phones.
“There is no reason to carry a knife and when you make the choice to take a weapon into a public place you are putting lives at risk.
“I would implore any young person to make the right choice – say no to knives and weapons, put the safety of yourselves and those around you first.
“If anyone reading this is in a situation where they feel they need to carry a knife please speak to a responsible adult about it, whether that’s your parents, teacher, a trusted adult or the police.
“They can help to resolve the situation as the consequences of carrying a knife as seen in this investigation could result in someone being seriously or fatally injured or a prison sentence.”
