Man jailed for stabbing security guard to death during Birmingham eviction

Nathan Burton was stabbed after going to a property with colleagues and a locksmith, the trial was told

A man who fatally stabbed a security guard who came to evict him has been jailed for at least 19 years.

Chad Henderson stabbed Nathan Burton four times in the chest after barricading himself in his flat in Moseley, Birmingham in April 2021.

The 46-year-old had denied murder, but was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court in September after jurors rejected his claims of acting in self-defence.

On Monday, the US national was jailed for life.

The court heard Mr Burton, a 27-year-old father-of-one, had gone to the flat on Woodhurst Road with two colleagues and a locksmith after Henderson had got into rent arrears.

The victim, from Wolverhampton, was stabbed at the top of a flight of stairs and died in hospital the following day.

Chad Henderson was found guilty of murder after refusing to take part in or attend his trial

Judge Simon Drew KC, who heard Henderson had thwarted previous efforts to remove him from the property, said that in the first week of April the defendant "became increasingly difficult, abusive, aggressive and obstructive".

He added that by then Henderson had "developed a siege mentality".

The defendant made preparations to resist any attempt to remove him from the flat "by barricading the door and blocking the stairway" and he had at least one knife to hand, the judge said.

"The history of his conduct throughout clearly shows that he was readying himself for a violent physical confrontation. When the opportunity came he took up the knife he had ready to hand, and had no hesitation in using it."

Henderson refused to take part or attend his trial and he was convicted by a majority 11-1 verdict.

Several victim impact statement from Mr Burton's family members were read to the court.

His mother told the court the loss of her "selfless and thoughtful" son had left her suffering a constant state of numbness, while the victim's father described him as "calm, humble and loving".