It was a chance encounter in a Leeds gay bar that led to the brutal murder of one of the Black Country’s most colourful characters.Barry De Lacy had only just settled down for a drink in The Bridge public house on that fateful evening when Wood staggered in after an all-day boozing session.
After checking himself out of the Durham County Hospital earlier the same day on the pretence he was going home to collect a change of clothes, Wood went to the nearest pub and drank several pints of strong lager before catching the train to Leeds.
Carrying on his binge on the train, he was already half-drunk by the time he walked in to the The Bridge and caught the eye of Mr De Lacy.
The pair started chatting and Mr De Lacy bought his killer a drink before inviting him back to his plush pad for a night cap.
When they arrived back at the Britannia Place apartment block in York Place the couple exchanged a passionate kiss before Mr De Lacy took out a large wad of cash and offered Wood £300. Wood told the court Mr De Lacy said the money was not for sex and told him he could keep the cash and use his flat while he was out of Leeds.
Wood excused himself, saying he needed a shower to clean up, and, while he was out of the room, Mr De Lacy stripped down to his underwear and socks. What Mr De Lacy did not know was that Wood had instead gone into the kitchen and taken a six-inch knife.
What happened next is unclear as Wood claims he remembers nothing about the incident and it took a police forensic team to piece together the full horror of the attack.
From examining blood stains left at the scene, they deduced that when Wood went back into the living room he launched into a frenzied attack, plunging the knife in again and again while Mr De Lacy desperately tried to fight him off.
When police arrived at the scene, they found a scene straight out of a horror film.
Mr De Lacy was lying where he fell, his body punctured with 28 separate stab wounds to his head, torso, arms and legs.
There was a macabre twist to the gruesome discovery.
Wood had covered Mr De Lacy’s body with two jackets and had stabbed him four more times through the fabric, leaving the blood-stained knife next to his victim’s shoulder.
After cleaning himself off in the shower, he put some pyjama bottoms and a sports top belonging to Mr De Lacy on before shouting for help through the window.
He was eventually found wandering around screaming: “I’ve killed someone.”
By Jon Wood
Popular stories:
Share this article:
What are these?