Charlotte Baines, leading Holly Thompson, was instructed to prosecute the defendant, Jason Hale. The defendant faced three counts at trial, including Attempted Robbery, Wounding with Intent and Murder.
The Prosecution’s case was that on the 17th September 2024, Jason Hale entered an alleyway in the Hyde Park area of Doncaster in the early hours of the morning and made demands for money from a male, stabbing him to his side in the process. Only two days later, on the 19th September 2024, in the same area of the same alleyway, the deceased was stabbed to death via a single stab wound to the chest.
The case involved extensive CCTV evidence, comparison imagery, and forensic evidence. It also included complex legal arguments regarding the admissibility of identification evidence, in the form of a voir dire.
The defendant initially disputed his identification in the area on the 17th September and denied that he was involved. The defendant accepted, for the killing on the 19th of September, that he inflicted the fatal blow but argued that he acted in self-defence.
On 19th August 2025, following a two-week trial before the Recorder of Sheffield, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all three counts.
Sentencing is due to take place on 16th October 2025.