Killer who stabbed man as he lay unconscious jailed

Simon Thomason was convicted of murder after a two-week trial

A man who fatally stabbed another man in the chest as he lay unconscious has been jailed for at least 18 years.

Simon Thomason plunged a kitchen knife into Anthony Tipper's chest in a flat in Allenton, Derby, on 9 January.

Hours later, after disposing of key evidence with the help of his accomplice Dale Lynch, the 52-year-old told emergency services he had discovered Mr Tipper dead.

On Thursday - after being convicted of murder at the end of a two-week trial at Derby Crown Court - Thomason was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years and 131 days in prison.

Lynch, who was convicted of assisting an offender, was handed a three-year prison sentence.

Anthony Tipper was found at a property in Allenton in January

Emergency services were called to Mr Tipper's flat in Witney Close on 13:45 GMT on 9 January, and the 47-year-old was pronounced dead.

The court heard Thomason and Mr Tipper were both "long-term drug addicts" and that Mr Tipper was already unconscious due to his drug use when he was attacked.

Addressing Thomason, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: "You did not help Mr Tipper. Instead, you did everything you could to distance yourself from the killing."

The court heard Thomason delayed reporting Mr Tipper's death, disposed of evidence and got rid of his clothes, before giving the impression he had only just discovered Mr Tipper's body at 13:00.

Dale Lynch was jailed for three years for assisting an offender

The judge said he gave Thomason the "benefit of the doubt" in that the murder was not premeditated but said there was an "intention to kill".

Sentencing Thomason, who has 34 previous convictions for 89 offences, the judge said his crime was "calculated" and "inexplicable".

As he sentenced Lynch, the judge added: "You allowed key evidence from the killing to be stored at your property.

"You provided assistance that meant important evidence was not recovered."

Since Mr Tipper's murder, his mother's health and wellbeing has "deteriorated significantly", the judge added.

"She said [Mr Tipper] was no angel but he had a good heart and was always kind to others," he said.

The court heard drugs "took him from her long before his death", but despite his addiction, Mr Tipper had managed to hold down one job for 20 years.

The judge added the pain of losing Mr Tipper would remain with his family "for the rest of their lives".