A 19-year-old man has been jailed for life for the murder of a man who he stabbed in the head before attempting to dissolve the body in acid in a wheelie bin.
George Knights, of Delce Road, Rochester Kent was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court for the murder of 38-year-old Stephen Chapman in October 2020.
A Kent Police spokesman said the murder happened after the victim agreed to meet Knights to discuss the sale of cocaine.
Following Mr Chapman’s disappearance, police searched Knights’ home after he was seen at the victim’s home.
The force spokesman said: “Officers continued to search the address and located a wheelie bin, which belonged to a different address, in the conservatory.
“Mr Chapman’s body was found inside, with four empty bottles of sulphuric acid located nearby.
“In light of the discovery, Knights was additionally arrested on suspicion of murder.
“Despite his efforts to dispose of the victim’s body, investigating officers’ inquiries were not hindered as they were able to use recent breakthroughs in forensic technology to carry out a thorough post-mortem.”
He added that a video on Knights’ phone showed him at a party with a package of cocaine in the background and at the party he also bragged that he had killed someone.
He has been devoid of human emotion throughout this case and is a clear and obvious danger to the public
Detective Superintendent Gavin Moss
The spokesman said that in the week leading up to the murder, Knights had a tattoo with a snake wrapped around a knife, similar to the murder weapon, inked on his neck.
Detective Superintendent Gavin Moss said: “Throughout this case Knights has shown no remorse or empathy for his actions.
“He is a callous killer who robbed Stephen Chapman of his life, and on top of this his attempt to dispose of the body deprived Mr Chapman’s family of an opportunity to see him for a final time.
“He prevented Mr Chapman from having a future with his family and put them through the ordeal of a trial.
“He has been devoid of human emotion throughout this case and is a clear and obvious danger to the public.”
