James Brindley: Parents' 'daily doorstep torture' of son's murder

James Brindley was stabbed in the heart near his parents' home in 2017

The parents of a man stabbed to death near their home have described the "unavoidable daily torture" of living near a constant reminder of the attack.

James Brindley was murdered as he walked to the property in Aldridge, Walsall, in 2017.

His parents Mark and Beverley Brindley said his loss had "devastated" every aspect of their lives.

The comments came during an application to remove a tree from their property so they can sell the home and move.

The couple appeared before Walsall Council's planning committee to say the tree was making a sale difficult.

"Despite our love for Aldridge, the wonderful community and all our friends around us, we must sell our family home and move away to avoid the daily agony of passing the place where James was attacked and a few yards away where he later died," Mr Brindley told the meeting.

The Brindleys have applied to remove a protected pine, saying it was in an unstable condition and causing damage to the rest of the garden, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They said the tree - estimated to be 60m to 70m tall (197ft to 230ft) - was putting off prospective property buyers, who had all remarked on the size, location and detrimental impact on adjacent plants.

Mr Brindley told the hearing: "This [house] move will allow us to shore up our shattered finances and remove the unavoidable daily torture on our doorstep."

Mark and Beverley Brindley addressed the Walsall planning meeting

Mrs Brindley said removal of the tree would be a "lifeline for our private lives and will safeguard our capacity [for] charity work for the local public benefit".

James had been on a night out with friends and was walking home when he was confronted by his killer, 17-year-old Ammar Kahrod.

Kahrod was convicted of murder in February 2018 and jailed for at least 17 years.

Despite a recommendation to protect the pine by a tree officer, planning committee members agreed it had become a burden preventing the family from selling the property and could be removed.