Knife killer found guilty

A law student was today beginning a minimum of 15 years behind bars for the cold-blooded slaughter of his brother-in-law.

Young father Mark Symonds was killed in the street by Peter Britten.

He was stabbed as he walked home from The Flying Dutchman pub in Penn, Wolverhampton, in November 2005.

The 28-year-old, of nearby Pennwood Court, was knifed once in the back and nine times in chest and bled to death. The crime left the community in shock and for months police investigations drew a blank.

But a jury yesterday took around just three hours and 15 minutes to find 30-year-old Britten guilty of murder.As the foreman announced the result, Mr Symonds' family cheered, while Britten's sister Peggy Britten-Jeavons, weeping, stood up and shouted at the jury "you are all liars".

Police officers raced upstairs to the public gallery to ensure the the crowd of 20 relatives and supporters stayed apart. With the tension at breaking point, Britten collapsed in the dock before custody officers lifted him and removed him.

Britten's family leaned over the court banisters and repeatedly told him "we will sort it out". He replied "it will be alright" and blew kisses to his wife Clare, his victim's sister.

Justice Raymond Jack, handing down a life sentence, told Britten he would not be eligible for parole until 2022 at the earliest.

He took the unusual step of passing sentence on the same day as the verdict saying it would not be a kindness to Britten to wait until Monday. Justice Jack said: "There is one sentence for murder and that is imprisonment for life and that is the sentence I pass."

Speaking after the verdict, Peter Scorey, a close friend of Mr Symonds, said: "Justice has been done."

By Nick Pritchard and Ciara Hill