'Justice has been served' Gainsborough man given life sentence for murder of 69-year-old man

Owen Blades, 27, of no fixed address, took the life of John Connolly, 69, when he attacked him on June 13, 2024.

Also on the same day Blades assaulted another man, had a knife in public and carried out a burglary and another theft.

John’s family have shared a statement following Blades’ sentencing.

John's family said: “Justice has been served on Owen Blades.

“Our brother John did not deserve to die in the cruel the way he did. He was in his own home; that was supposed to be his safe space, anyone should feel safe in their own home, and no one has the right to invade it like that. We can’t imagine how terrified he would have been.

“On February 2, this year, John would have been 70. Instead of celebrating his birthday, we had to take flowers to his grave. We never envisaged that we would be doing this.

“Hopefully, now we as a family can begin to try and move forward and grieve; this has left the biggest hole in our hearts that will never be filled.

“John will be forever in our thoughts, hearts and prayers.”

Detective Chief Inspector Jen Lovatt led the investigation from Lincolnshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU).

She said: “There are never any words we can share with a family to make up for what they have endured, so we do the next thing in our power, and that is everything possible to ensure that the person responsible for this tragedy is brought to justice.

“This was a complex investigation because sadly, John was not found for five days until after he had been killed, and in my view that fact is all the more terrible because the man who did it was already behind bars by then.

“Blades knew what he had done. He knew that he had stabbed and killed John on June 13, but sat in his prison cell after having been swiftly arrested for an assault that same day, and said nothing.

“Our investigators picked apart his movements, CCTV footage, and forensics examinations to link him to John’s murder, and I am grateful to the team of officers and staff who worked hard to help us get to this point.

“I am thankful that John’s family were spared the ordeal of a trial, although I feel for them at having that anticipation right up until it was due to start because Blades still refused to accept his guilt until that last possible moment.

“They have conducted themselves with dignity and strength throughout this whole investigation and during the court process, and I pay tribute to their poise in the face of such tragedy.

“We also need to think about the other victims of Blades’ crimes, who will have also been traumatised by his actions, including the man he stabbed at Merkur Slots in the city centre, and the victims of the aggravated burglary in the same street he killed John. I hope they can all start to move forward.”

Blades' sentencing was conducted at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on Thursday, May 15, and included a number of offences.

He was sentenced to 32 years and 3 months for murder.

He also received a sentence of six years and nine months for GBH at Merkur Slots; two years for the aggravated burglary; two months for the theft from Tesco; and two years and three months for possession of a offensive weapon.

These will run concurrently.