Brothers face long jail terms for drug runner murder

Levi Kent, 22, was chased and fatally stabbed in November

Two brothers have been convicted of murdering a cocaine runner who refused to give them credit.

Levi Kent, 22, was chased and repeatedly stabbed in Gosport, Hampshire, in November 2023.

Aiden West, 25, of Tudor Close, was found guilty of murder on Friday after a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court.

He will be sentenced in October, along with his half-brother Tommy West, 18, of Fisgard Road, who admitted the charge.

Nicholas Haggan KC, prosecuting, said the pair planned to rob Mr Kent after he refused to defer payment for cocaine.

They armed themselves with knives and arranged to meet him behind shops in Nobes Avenue in the early hours of 24 November, the barrister told the court.

Mr Kent was stabbed in his car by Tommy West and crashed into a row of garages a few metres away, Mr Haggan said.

The victim ran off, leaving the engine racing with the accelerator jammed to the floor, the prosecutor added.

Tommy West stabbed Mr Kent six times, police said

Mr Haggan said a witness then saw the "laughing" brothers attack Mr Kent in nearby Keyes Road.

He said Tommy West stabbed the victim several times while Aiden West kicked him and searched his pockets.

Mr Kent was pronounced dead in hospital from a stab wound to the heart, the barrister said.

Six other people were charged over the murder.

Peter West 43, of Wimpson Lane in Southampton, and Michael Figgins, 64, of St Ann’s Crescent in Gosport, collected the offenders in a car after the attack.

They were both found guilty of enabling Peter's son Tommy to dispose of clothes but were found not guilty of assisting Aiden West.

Sarah Flynn, 36, of James Close in Gosport, admitted putting Tommy West's blood-stained clothing in a communal bin.

Aiden West denied murder but was found guilty following a trial

Mr Kent was found seriously injured in Keyes Road

The brothers' mother Joanne West, 45, arranged a taxi to take them from the crime scene to the home in Harbour Tower of Liam Savage, 38, and both admitted charges of assisting offenders.

Mark Phillips, 56, of Gilbert Close in Gosport, lied to police about Ms West's taxi booking and later admitted perverting the course of justice.

The brothers admitted robbery. Aiden West was found guilty of possessing a blade while Tommy West admitted the charge.

Police said the pair faced long jail terms for the "senseless" and "horrific" attack.

Ch Insp Chris Spellerberg said: “We know that Levi’s murder sent shockwaves throughout the communities of Gosport and continues to cause considerable upset to many people.

“We are resolute in our determination to make our communities safer by removing knives from our streets."

Levi Kent's mother previously released a statement describing him as a "kind, caring and funny man" and said he was known in the Gosport area as a "gentle ginger giant".