Man found guilty of murdering teenager during New Year’s Day row with neighbour

A man who stabbed a teenager to death after falling out with his neighbour on New Year’s Eve is facing jail after being found guilty of murder.

Callum Aylett, 21, fatally stabbed 18-year-old Jay Fathers at a home near Milton Keynes, just before 3am on 1 January this year.

Aylett’s neighbour, Nicholas Grant, aged 49 at the time, was also stabbed in the incident, suffering serious injuries which required hospital treatment.

Luton Crown Court heard how Fathers was not involved in the conflict between Aylett and Grant, and was visiting friends when he was repeatedly stabbed by Aylett in the kitchen of Grant’s house while he was celebrating the new year.

The court heard how a chair leg was hurled over the fence shortly after midnight, as Aylett and his girlfriend were watching fireworks being let off as part of the new year celebrations.

Aylett, who had been drinking brandy and smoking cannabis, believed the chair leg had been thrown by people from the neighbouring house and he armed himself with two kitchen knives and went to the property.

Prosecutor Michael Roques said of Aylett: "He was very loud and demanding entry and threatening to kick the door in if they didn't come down and open it."

After Aylett was allowed inside, he became threatening and intimidating to those present and brandished the knives, the jury was told.

Aylett admitted to the court that he had gone to the house armed with two knives because he said he wanted to "intimidate and humiliate" the occupants.

However, he claimed he used a knife in self-defence after being attacked by Fathers, who he said was armed with a knife.

He told claimed that Grant was brandishing a pole at the time of the incident.

Fathers was left "mortally wounded” by five knife wounds and he later died in hospital, while Grant was stabbed twice by the defendant.

Police said it was "only a matter of fortune" the second injured man survived.

Following Aylett’s conviction, detective chief inspector Andy Shearwood of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, described the level of violence at the incident as “shocking and completely unnecessary”.

He said: “Jay had been at the address celebrating New Year, and could have had no idea of what was to happen to him that night…

“The escalation of what was a relatively minor dispute to the death of Jay will probably never be fully understood, but I am satisfied that his killer has been brought to justice and will serve an extremely long time in prison as a result.”

Aylett will be sentenced at Luton Crown Court at a later date.

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