Judge calls teenage killer 'one of most manipulative prisoners I ever experienced'
The teenager who carried out a "chilling" knife attack, fatally stabbing a stranger in the heart, was called "one of the most difficult and manipulative" prisoners ever encountered by the judge who sentenced him. Daniel Rounce, 18, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years behind bars.
Rounce was kept in handcuffs while in the dock at Leicester Crown Court, where the judge condemned his inexplicable and "merciless" murder of 79-year-old Gerald Wickes as a "truly wicked" act. Markfield resident Rounce was convicted by a jury after failing to provide an explanation for the brutal killing of Mr. Wickes at the elderly man's former partner's residence.
At his sentencing, the 18 year old, through his defence counsel, claimed he had panicked and intended only to rob Mr Wickes, having followed the victim's former partner into the home on Queens Park Way, Eyres Monsell, on February 22 of the previous year. Rounce, who had previously lashed out at security staff during his trial, necessitating restraint, was closely guarded by five dock officers as he received his sentence.
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Judge Timothy Spencer KC highlighted that the murder involved significant planning and premeditation, and the vulnerability of the elderly victim in what should have been his sanctuary, as he handed down the sentence. The judge expressed his belief that Rounce had attempted to feign mental illness as a tactic to thwart the legal process.
Judge Spencer addressed the young offender, saying: "This killing took place in the living room of what in effect was his own home a home that was invaded and violated by you. This was a truly wicked act. You were, in my judgment, deliberately targeting the elderly."
In a subsequent trial of facts hearing at the same court last October, Rounce was deemed unfit to enter a plea but was later found fit to stand trial.
Judge Spencer accused Rounce of attempting to deceive psychiatrists following the "chilling" murder, stating: "I reject your explanation offered this morning that this was a killing in panic. It was not.
"You were in control of events. As soon as you were close enough to him, you plunged the knife into his chest. That was merciless."
After the crime, Rounce quickly left the scene and was apprehended hours later, having had the foresight to hide the murder weapon in undergrowth, noted the judge.
He continued: "When you were arrested by the police you said nothing. And that is a policy that continued right to the end, all the way to the jury's verdict."
"The jury saw through it all. Until this morning you have not expressed a word of explanation and you have never expressed any show of remorse whatsoever."
"Your explanation that out of panic you intended to rob, perhaps to get some food, has a hollow ring to it. Ultimately this killing actually defies any explanation."
Rounce, described by the judge as highly intelligent after passing an entrance exam for a top grammar school, has been known to defy authority since the age of 12.
The judge remarked: "I have seen your violence, particularly when you appeared on the video link (at a previous hearing) and also on day one of this trial."
It was heard in court that Rounce does not suffer from mental illness and had even admitted to attempting to deceive psychiatric evaluations. Following Rounce's removal to start his sentence, the judge took a moment to praise the senior dock officers for their conduct.
Judge Spencer commented: "Daniel Rounce was one of the most difficult, manipulative and potentially disruptive prisoners that I have experienced."
He commended them, saying: "You have all displayed the highest standards of professionalism and expertise. You are an absolute credit to yourselves and the Prison Service."
Leicestershire Police disclosed that before entering the property, Rounce had been lurking in a wooded area nearby. The hunt for Rounce stretched into the night until a vigilant police officer spotted him on Aylestone Road in Leicester at about 11.15pm, leading to his arrest.
After the sentencing, Detective Inspector David Greenhalgh of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit remarked: "This was a devastating incident which resulted in a 79-year-old man losing his life in a horrendous way because of the actions of a teenager who was unknown to him. We will never fully know why this happened and my thoughts very much remain with Mr Wickes' family."
Mr Wickes' family remembered him as a "doting" father, granddad and great-granddad.
Mr. Garry Wickes, his son, shared: "My dad was generous and kind and I know he brought happiness to a lot of people all through his life. He will always be remembered by people as one of life's helpers.
"I know so many people are struggling to come to terms with losing dad. We miss him so much but he will forever be a memory in so many people's hearts."
In an additional statement, Mr Wickes' grandchildren expressed: "If anyone ever needed help or advice, Granddad Gerald was the first person to be there. This is the kind of person he was, not just as a granddad, but to all the community."