Pair murdered man at random then hid his body

Kieran Doherty and Sanchez Francis were both given life sentences for the murder of Paul Early

Killers who murdered a man at random then stashed his body behind a pile of broken furniture have both been jailed for life.

Kieran Doherty, 19, and Sanchez Francis, 24, attacked Paul Early in the street on 19 June 2022 before he was dragged into Doherty's Huddersfield home and fatally stabbed.

Later the same day, police investigating a robbery arrested Doherty and, when they searched his cellar, they discovered Mr Early's body hidden away.

Francis was told he would serve at least 21 years while Doherty was sentenced to a minimum of 17 and a half years at Leeds Crown Court.

'Final indignity'

The court heard how Francis and Doherty had selected 53-year-old Mr Early for their attack after they spotted him walking at 01:30 BST.

He was assaulted in the street then taken inside and killed.

Speaking after the pair were sentenced on Tuesday, Det Ch Insp Matthew Holdsworth said they had "committed a final indignity" on Mr Early by trying to hide his body.

“The attack on Paul was made all the worse by him clearly being selected by the pair at random," he said.

“The level of violence they inflicted on Paul was the worst I have seen in my policing career," the detective added.

Francis, of Bradford Road, Fartown, and Sanchez, of Norwood Road, Birkby, had admitted a charge of murder and robbery offences at an earlier hearing.

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