Man Jailed For Life For Sunderland Man's Murder

5 January 2015, 17:11 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A County Durham man who claimed to be 'Britain's youngest serial killer' has been jailed for life.

Daniel Oxley also claimed to have murdered missing York chef Claudia Lawrence, along with another person, when he was arrested for stabbing Michael Outhwaite, from Sunderland, to death.

Mr Outhwaite's body was found in a field in County Durham with multiple stab wounds, with the fatal knife blow inflicted through the heart.

22 year old Oxley, pleaded guilty to 42-year-old Mr Outhwaite's murder and was sentenced to life with a minimum of term of 23 years and nine months before he can apply for parole.

Newcastle Crown Court heard it was while under arrest for the  brutal killing he made the "attention seeking" claims about Miss Lawrence's still unexplained disappearance.

Prosecutor Nick Dry said:
"On the way to the police station he claimed he had murdered Claudia Lawrence and he asked how long he might get for a double murder.

He claimed he had killed a third person and said he would be the UK's youngest serial killer."

Oxley, of High Street, Willington, County Durham, had been released on licence from prison for a previous assault just days before he killed Mr Outhwaite, who he had spent the evening drinking with.

The court heard Oxley had lured his victim, who had had known for little more than a day, to the field where he met his death with an initial plan to rob, which later turned deadly.

After the brutal stabbing Oxley emptied the dying man's pockets and then ransacked his flat looking for goods to steal.

The court heard Oxley then bought alcohol and paid for taxis with stolen, bloodstained notes before arriving at his parents' house in Murton.

He told a taxi driver he had "stabbed his friend in the neck" and confessed to his parents he had killed someone.

Judge Paul Sloan QC said he was satisfied Oxley had formed a deadly intention when he decided to rob the other man.

The judge said:
"Having lured him to the field you proceeded to rob him and in the course of committing that crime, in furtherance of the robbery, you produced the knife and stabbed Mr Outhwaite to death.

It is common ground this was murder for gain. Moreover, you took a knife to the scene, intending to commit robbery and then used that knife in the course of committing the murder.

The murder was committed just days after your release fro prison.

There is only one sentence, which is life imprisonment."

The court heard during the call to the police to confess to the stabbing, Oxley said Mr Outhwaite was "just breathing"  when he left him in the field last September.

Officers arrived at the location Oxley had described and found Mr Outwaite's body.

Oxley has a string of previous convictions for violence.

Tim Roberts QC, defending, said:
"He said attention seeking and grandiose things after he was arrested.

He had been rejected by his family.

His life was spiralling out of control. At the time he was drinking six litres of cider each day."