Reece Radford murder: Men guilty of killing passer-by who protected girl from attack

Louis James, left, and Dereck Owusu, have been found guilty of Reece Radford's murder

Two men who stabbed a passer-by to death as he tried to protect a teenage girl have been convicted of murder.

Dereck Owusu, 39, and Louis James, 46, killed Reece Radford as he attempted to stop an attack on the 17-year-old in Sheffield city centre.

A Sheffield Crown Court jury found both men guilty of murder on Wednesday.

Mr Radford, 26, had confronted the pair after he witnessed Owusu punching the girl in the face in Arundel Gate in the early hours of 29 September.

Owusu, of Strathmore Grove, Rotherham, and James, of Manor Lane, Sheffield, had been out drinking in the city centre when they stopped at a bus stop to talk to the teenager, who they knew, just before 01:00 BST.

The men spent about 90 minutes sharing whisky with the girl before a violent altercation broke out, during which Owusu punched her in the face, the trial heard.

Reece Radford, 26, was stabbed in the early hours of 29 September and died later in hospital

Prosecutor David Temkin KC told the jury Mr Radford, who had met the girl briefly earlier that night, saw Owusu striking the teenager "with such force that she fell to the ground". He intervened by punching Owusu in the face.

"He did so in order to protect a young female who he had just seen being punched," the barrister said.

Owusu and James then both began fighting Mr Radford. The jury were shown CCTV footage of a brawl spilling out on to the street before Mr Radford fell to the ground and told a friend he had been stabbed.

As a friend of Mr Radford was calling an ambulance, Owusu removed his belt and began whipping it at the friend before leaving the scene, the jury heard.

Mr Radford died in hospital six days later from a single stab wound to the chest.

Reece Radford was stabbed to death on Arundel Gate in Sheffield city centre

Det Ch Insp Rebecca Hodgma, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "Throughout their trial Owusu and James have both claimed they had no idea how Reece came to be stabbed during that fight. The jury saw through those lies.

"I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Reece's family. To lose a loved one in such tragic circumstances has been devastating. I hope today's verdict will provide some comfort as they rebuild their lives without Reece."

Owusu and James will be sentenced on 4 May.