FedEx driver guilty of killing manager over pay in Rotherham

Philip Woodcock was fatally injured on 2 November 2022

A FedEx driver has been found guilty of killing his manager by stabbing him in the heart in front of colleagues.

Ronald Sekanjako, 49, attacked Philip Woodcock, 60, at the depot in Hellaby, Rotherham, on 2 November 2022.

During a five-day trial Sheffield Crown Court heard that Sekanjako had voiced grievances about being suspended from work and about his pay.

On Friday, a jury found Sekanjako, of Bellhouse Road, Sheffield, guilty of murder. He will be sentenced on Monday.

The jury, who deliberated for two hours and 18 minutes, also found him guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and three counts of possession of an offensive weapon.

The courier driver, who did not react when jurors delivered their verdict, is now facing a life sentence.

Earlier this week, the court heard Sekanjako was suspended from work after failing to pay for fuel at a Morrisons petrol station on 1 November 2022.

Jason Pitter KC, defending, told the jury it had not actually been fuel theft as his client had left his details.

Ronald Sekanjako killed Philip Woodcock at a FedEx branch in Rotherham in November 2022

Sekanjako had also told the cashier the reason he could not pay was because FedEx had not settled his wages.

However, Mr Sekanjako's perception of not being paid correctly was disproven by company records.

FedEx managers at the Hellaby branch subsequently suspended Sekanjako over concerns of reputational damage.

After being told of his suspension in the morning of 2 November, Sekanjako armed himself with two knives and a hammer and confronted staff.

Witnesses giving evidence in court recalled how Sekanjako shouted at them, insisting FedEx owed him money and warning them that "there will be a death".

Prosecutor Katherine Goddard KC, told the court it was "the cruellest of ironies" as Sekanjako's latest invoice was paid within contractual terms and just an hour before he killed Mr Woodcock.

Sekanjako, who had accrued a number of debts, had been under "real financial pressure" at the time, the court was told, and had received letters threatening bailiff action.

Emergency services at the scene in Rother Way, Hellaby, where Philip Woodcock suffered fatal injuries

Mr Woodcock, the depot's deputy station manager, tried to resolve the pay dispute and while doing so, was stabbed in the heart by Sekanjako in front of horrified colleagues.

Another member of staff suffered a minor injury to his thumb when he parried the knife in an attempt to protect Mr Woodcock.

Despite efforts to save his life, Mr Woodcock was pronounced dead at 10:38 GMT that morning.

A post-mortem examination concluded he had died from stab wounds.

'Snatched away'

Mr Woodcock, who had been looking forward to a "hard earned retirement", had been working at the Hellaby depot for more than 30 years.

In a statement released after Friday's hearing, Mr Woodcock's family said the circumstances of his death had "haunted" them ever since that fateful morning.

"We are tormented by imagining what our loving husband, dad and brother would have felt during his final moments; trapped, helpless and terrified," the statement read.

"Our family has been left with a void that it is impossible to fill.

"He was snatched away from us in the prime of his life, doing what he did most - helping others."