Man jailed for killing friend after murder retrial

Matthew Jones was first convicted in 2021

A man whose conviction for murdering his friend was quashed on appeal has been convicted of the same offence following a retrial.

Matthew Jones, 45, was jailed in 2021 for killing William Phelan at his home in Manchester three years earlier.

His sentence of life with a minimum term of 20 years was quashed by the Court of Appeal, which ordered a retrial.

Jones received the same sentence once again on Thursday after a unanimous verdict by a jury at Manchester Crown Court.

'Inconceivable loss'

Mr Phelan's family said his mother had never lived to see justice done as she died between the appeal and retrial.

The Court of Appeal had ordered the retrial after it accepted the defence's submission about a legal issue relating to the previous judge's summing up.

Mr Phelan was found dead with a large kitchen knife under his body at this home on Kilnside Drive in the Harpurhey area of Manchester on 19 March 2018.

A post-mortem examination found he died of stab wounds.

Jones’ fingerprints were found on the knife and police tracked him to a secure unit at Prestwich Hospital, where he had been sectioned in the weeks after Mr Whelan's death.

Det Ch Insp Nicola McCulloch, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “This has been a traumatic six years for William’s family, who have not only had to suffer such an inconceivable loss, but also patiently wait for justice.

“They have shown such tremendous bravery and dignity throughout and I hope that the verdict offers them some closure on the worst time of their lives.

“This was a tragic case where a man murdered someone who was supposed to be his friend and left their loves ones with such insufferable consequences."

William Phelan had "a heart of gold" his family said

Mr Phelan’s sister Melanie said in a new tribute that her brother "fought hard to make a recovery from his own illness, and he even talked about wanting to start his own family".

She added: "He had a heart of gold. Matthew has taken that away from him.

"When my mum found out that William had been murdered, it broke her heart.

"She was unable to sleep or eat and cried every day. It prematurely aged her.

"She thought justice had been served after the first trial, however she sadly passed away shortly after finding out that Matthew had won an appeal against his conviction.

"My mum will never know the outcome now and what justice William has received. Hopefully she will now be reunited with William."