Man sentenced to 19 years for killing unarmed burglar who was robbing his house

A man from Merseyside has been sentenced to 19 years in jail after stabbing a house intruder to death in October of last year.

Karl Townsend, a 32-year-old father from Halewood, had been cleared by a jury of murdering burglar Jordan Brophy outside his home.

However, earlier this week, Townsend was found guilty of manslaughter, after it was revealed that 31-year-old Brophy had been stabbed repeatedly in the head, face and arms in the attack.

The deceased intruder was one of four men who broke into Townsend's house on October 29, while the man, his partner and young child were all out.

The burglary was carrying out in a 'smash and grab' fashion, with the criminal quartet reportedly searching for a stash of controlled drugs.

Sentencing him at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, Judge Andrew Menary QC said: "Jordan Brophy was no angel, he had a number of previous convictions and was under investigation for other matters at the time.

"Whatever he was doing on the night, he plainly did not deserve to die as he did."

The court heard that the arrival of the burglars was picked up by Townsend's Ring doorbell app, to which he rushed back home carrying a large kitchen knife, accompanied by his younger half-brother.

Upon arriving home, he then proceeded to repeatedly stab Brophy, who died at the scene from his injuries.

"On any level, the unlawful violence used by you was truly shocking," the judge added.

In a statement which she read to the court, Brophy's mother Lisa Ward said: "Jordan was by no means perfect and innocent but never did anyone ever, ever, have the right to take him from me."

She added that Mr Brophy had taken the 'wrong path in life' following his firing from a job at Jaguar Land Rover, where he had worked with her, and had mental health problems.

Ward said that her son had been waiting more than two years for a mental health referral, and that he had an appointment with a psychiatrist on November 4 - but died before he was able to attend.

Townsend's younger brother and accomplice that night, Jamie Cunningham, also faced sentencing at the trial.

Having previously been acquitted of murder and manslaughter, the 23-year-old was handed a community sentence of two years supervision, with 10 days of rehabilitation activity, following his guilty plea to having a bladed article in his possession on the night in question.