A JURY has found one man guilty of manslaughter and acquitted three others in the Roger Millar murder case.Londoner Christopher Simmonds, 28, was convicted of manslaughter following a six-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, while Zacharious Clayton, 19, Kendel Joseph, 19, and 18-year-old Eurico Tavares were each acquitted of a charge of murder.
Charles Roger Millar died after being stabbed repeatedly in the back by a fifth man, Shelton Sibanda, 19, who pleaded guilty to murder at an earlier date.
The 44-year-old victim, of East Street, suffered five stab wounds to his back and lower limbs during the attack in Barnum Court, Rodbourne, at around 1.30am on June 6 last year and died shortly after in hospital.
Simmonds of Mundania Road, London, and Sibanda, of no fixed abode, have both had their cases adjourned to a date to be fixed for probation reports to be written.
Detective Inspector Matt Davey, of the Major Crime Investigation Team at Wiltshire Police, said: "This case offers a stark reminder of the dangers of getting involved in the world of illegal drugs. The investigation quickly established that this incident started with an altercation between two groups over the illegal supply of drugs and, although 19-year-old Shelton Sibanda pleaded guilty to murder, the jury were asked to decide to what extent a number of others participated in Mr Millar’s murder.
"Today 28-year-old Christopher Sean Simmonds has also been convicted of his murder. Simmonds also pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice.
“I would like to thank my investigation team who remained committed throughout the last year to bringing this complicated case to court. I am also grateful to the swift and professional response to this incident by uniformed colleagues who tried in vain to save Mr Millar’s life and secured the early arrest of two suspects in this case.
"Lastly, I would particularly like to thank the numerous members of the local community who provided valuable information to my investigation team throughout the course of the enquiry.
“Our thoughts however at this time remain with Mr Millar’s family. They have acted with dignity throughout this investigation and I hope that this verdict goes some way to providing closure to them."
This investigation was a collaborative effort under Operation Brunel.
Operation Brunel represents the collaboration of Major Crime and Special Branch units from Wiltshire Police and Avon & Somerset Police.
The collaboration formally went live in January 2011, and strives to ensure greater resilience and improved responsiveness become the hallmarks of the new Major Crime Investigation Team and Special Branch service operating across the Avon and Somerset and Wiltshire force areas.
