Killer of man yards from his own home is jailed

Clinton Obeng Oppong Antwi's family said they still did not understand why he was murdered

The killer of a 23-year-old man described by his family as "murdered in the prime of his life" has been jailed for at least 23 years.

Junior Emmanuel Uwadia, 25, stabbed Clinton Antwi twice in the back "just yards" from his home in Northampton in December, police said.

He was found guilty at Northampton Crown Court and given a life sentence with a minimum of 23 years to be served before being considered for release.

His family said they were "left behind to pick up the shattered pieces".

Uwadia had left his victim's family with "broken hearts and trembling voices"

Mr Antwi was attacked in Flaxwell Court in the Standens Barn area at about 17:30 GMT on 11 December.

Despite the efforts of a friend, police officers and paramedics, who carried out CPR at the scene, he died shortly after arriving at Northampton General Hospital.

Following a three-week trial, Uwadia, from Northfield Way in the town, was convicted of murder.

Police issued a victim impact statement, written by Mr Antwi's younger brother Rexford, who said the family had been "left with broken hearts and trembling voices".

Police were called to Flaxwell Court during the late afternoon on 11 December

Rexford added: "He was the light in every room, the calm in every storm, and the kind of man who made you feel like everything would be OK, even when the world was falling apart.

"He was more than blood. He was my partner, my protector, my mirror and the one who never let me doubt the dreams we held close. Since childhood, we were inseparable. Clinton used to say – 'we're going to make it, bro'."

The family said that they "had not had a moment's peace" since the murder.

Rexford's statement continued: "My mother doesn't sleep through the night any more. She walks quietly, with grief buried deep in her bones, carrying a weight no mother should ever carry. My father looks for words he can't find."

The murder happened in the Standens Barn area of Northampton

The statement went on to say that Mr Antwi was "grounded in faith, an unshakable faith in God.

"Even when things got hard, his trust in God was the anchor we all held on to. Now, it's that same faith we cling to in our darkest hour," it said.

The family said they still did not understand why he was murdered, but they had been left behind "to pick up the shattered pieces".

They wanted him to be remembered "as a man who lived with intention, who built dreams out of love and whose legacy deserves protection".