There are the faces of the trio of killers have been locked up after they chased down a man before knocking him over with a car and fatally trapping him.
Adam Thomson turned up at his ex-partner’s home in the early hours of the morning and stabbed her new lover before fleeing the scene when was stabbed in the face.
Instead of calling the police for help, Anthony Hadfield called his sister and her partner to help him hunt down his attacker.
Armed with knives, Hadfield and Steven Corbett chased the 30-year-old through the streets of Hartlepool before cornering him on Sydenham Road, Hartlepool, just after 3am on Wednesday, January 4.
Read next: Gang's 'mob-handed' hounding of man ended with his death, trapped under a car
Teesside Crown Court heard how Sarah Hadfield was pursuing their target in her Ford Focus before she knocked him to the ground while driving at slow speed and pinning Mr Thomson to the ground.
Sentencing the trio, Mrs Justice Sara Cockerill KC said it was an unusual set of circumstances which resulted in their victim being crushed to death when he was trapped under the car until the emergency services arrived.
The judge said all three tried to push the car off the victim before fleeing the scene when police arrived.
She said: “This tragic outcome arose out of two things: a split-second emotional decision made in a high-stress situation, when Anthony Hadfield decided not to call the police but to go after Mr Thomson armed with a knife.
“His family are alerted and they decided not to call the police and they also went after Mr Thomson – there was no serious premeditation or a decision taken to exact revenge.
“This is people in a crisis, making extremely bad, reactive decisions.”
Dealing with mother-of-four Sarah Hadfield, the judge said: “She drove directly at Mr Thomson more than once, she did not intend to cause serious harm. Any sober and reasonable person would recognise that what she did was dangerous.”
Hadfield, of Brenda Road, Hartlepool, was sentenced to five years and 11 months and banned from driving for five years and four months. The court heard how the 35-year-old had given birth just months before the incident.
Turning to Anthony Hadfield, the judge added: “Anthony Hadfield was acting in lawful self-defence before the situation changed following very considerable provocation.
“When Mr Thomson left, Anthony Hadfield got a knife, followed him, didn’t call off the family, and effectively hunted him down.”
The 40-year-old, of Wensleydale Street, Hartlepool, was jailed for seven years and seven months.
Finally, sentencing Corbett, the judge said he went on the run for five days and disposed of his mobile phone.
She added: “I accept his remorse and that he attempted to assist the victim.”
Read more:
- Murder investigation continues six weeks after man found dead in North East flat
- Police officer accused of misconduct in public office appears in court
- Sentencing of care workers who ill-treated vulnerable patients has been delayed
Get more from The Northern Echo with a Premium Plus digital subscription from as little as only £1.50 a week. Click here
The 31-year-old, of Brenda Road, Hartlepool, who is the father of three of Sarah Hadfield’s children, was jailed for five years and five months.
All three had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the day their murder trial was due to start.
The charges against a teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were dropped when the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article