Sean Kelly murder: Two guilty of street knife attack

Sean Kelly was left in the street by his attackers

A man has been convicted of murder and another of manslaughter after attacking their victim in a Cardiff street before leaving him to die.

Sean Kelly, 37, was knifed in the leg in Splott in the early hours of 13 July 2017 and died three days later.

Aaron Bingham, 18, from Tremorfa and Nicholas Saleh, 46, from Adamsdown, denied murder at Cardiff Crown Court.

A jury found Bingham - who inflicted the knife wound - guilty of murder and Saleh guilty of manslaughter.

The court heard how the defendants had been on bikes and had chased father-of-two Mr Kelly down Theodore Street with weapons.

A jury found Bingham - who inflicted the knife wound - guilty of murder

It was then Bingham stabbed him in the left leg, severing an artery and causing significant blood loss.

Prosecutor Christopher Quinlan called this "catastrophic", adding: "He staggered away from his assailants and tried to make his escape.

'Vulnerable position'

"The two defendants arrived and left on bicycles and cycled off into the night leaving Mr Kelly bleeding and dying."

Mr Quinlan said Bingham fatally stabbed Mr Kelly, while Saleh "participated in the fatal attack".

The court heard Bingham, a cannabis dealer at the time, said he was acting in self defence while Saleh said he was in the area at the time but was not involved.

In a statement following the trial Mr Kelly's family said they were "overwhelmed by the guilty verdicts, which we believe is right and correct for the loss of such a young loving man who will never get to see his children grow up."

Saleh was found guilty of manslaughter

Millie Davies of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Sean Kelly was trying to run from the two attackers when he fell as a result.

"He was in a vulnerable position on the floor when the knife was used.

"The wound to his leg caused severe blood loss from which he sadly never recovered."

Det Ch Insp Rob Cronick of South Wales Police praised the Kelly family for showing "immense dignity during the anguish of a crown court trial".

He added: "Nothing will compensate Sean's family for their sudden and devastating loss but we hope today's verdicts will give them some peace of mind that justice has been served."

The men will be sentenced later in February.