Jon Casey death: Coroner rules 35-year-old Northampton father, son and brother was "unlawfully killed"

A Northampton father, son, brother and partner who was stabbed to death in a brutal attack was "unlawfully killed", a coroner has ruled.

The inquest into the death of Jon Casey, 35, was held today (Thursday, August 19) at Sessions House in Northampton town centre.

Jon Casey was fatally stabbed on Barrack Road on January 16, 2015, allegedly by Waijs Dahir, from Coventry, who is believed to have fled to Africa after the attack.

Dahir was living in Semilong Road at the time of the incident while studying at the University of Northampton.

The inquest heard that on the day of his death Mr Casey left the house at around 8am.

Kirby Done, Mr Casey's partner, said in a statement that she believed he was "going to get drugs as he couldn't manage without".

Mr Casey was supposed to be back home in the afternoon after he had picked his step-daughter up from school, but he did not return which is when Ms Done became "concerned".

Later that evening Ms Done's fears were confirmed when she got a knock at the door from police to say Mr Casey had died.

The inquest heard from three witnesses about how the fatal attack on Mr Casey happened.

One witness who was at the Co-op cash machine, in Semilong Road, saw one male gesturing "come on" to another male.

The witness said the man, who is believed to be Mr Casey, "took a swing" at the other man and "pushed him to the ground".

The other man, believed to be Dahir, said he was "getting a tool", according to the witness.

Two minutes later, the witness saw the male come back out of his front door on Semilong Road, which made him 'concerned' given the previous comment about "getting a tool".

Fatiat Braimoh, who lived with Dahir at the time, told the inquest she heard "shouting and commotion" in the house on the day of Mr Casey's death.

Ms Braimoh told the inquest: "After the dispute, the house went quiet. You could hear a pin drop. The boys then ran back into the house. They were having a bizarre conversation. I heard someone say "flush the toilet". It was unusual."

Ms Braimoh said in a police statement back in 2015 that she went downstairs and found one of her "heavier" knives "strangely" left out on the kitchen counter instead of in her cupboard.

Another witness said they saw the "aggressor" with a "black object" that looked like a "handle of a knife, like a steak knife but bigger".

He said: "The attack happened to my left, then in front of me. Firstly on the side of the road and then the pavement, then directly in front of the car [on Barrack Road].

"I think the white guy was trying to escape from the black guy but he was not fast enough.

"The black guy was punching the white guy with the black object in his hand. Punches to the face, using the black object as a grip to punch with.

"The black guy would not leave him alone, he was constantly on him, punching the white guy.

"He [the white male] wanted to get away, he was keeping his head down, terrified. He was keeping his head down to protect himself. He was taking a lot of punishment.

"They went back on the pavement and continued fighting. The white guy tried to run but the black guy hunted him down and grabbed him."

Mr Casey died of his injuries at Northampton General Hospital later that evening at around 6.20pm.

The victim's cause of death was recorded as stab wounds to the chest, according to a post-mortem examination.

Coroner Anne Pember said: "We have heard the horrendous events of the situation where he was viciously stabbed by another person, who clearly was the aggressor.

"Regrettably, that person has not been brought to justice. The only conclusion that I can draw today is that Jon James Casey was unlawfully killed."

Following the conclusion of the inquest, the family is re-iterating that they are still offering a £30,000 reward to anyone who has information to catch the prime suspect.

Stephen Casey, speaking on behalf of Mr Casey's family, said in a statement: "Jon's death and the circumstances in which he died will always be incredibly painful to all of us. The shock at Jon's death and the lack of closure after six years can at times be unbearable.

"Even with all the horror and the sadness, we take comfort in the person Jon was. The fun that he brought to any situation and his ability to make us smile.

"We remember him as our son, brother, partner and daddy to his girls. We miss him so very dearly."

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman, added: “This is still very much a live investigation with enquiries continuing in relation to locating the suspect and we remain committed in our aim of getting justice for Jon.”