Teenager, 17, stabbed 29-year-old Reece Connor to death on Christmas Day as jury delivers guilty verdict

Reece Connor, 29, was killed after being fatally wounded on a pavement near Nottingham’s Crown Island on December 25, 2023. Kershan Dockeray-Barnett, of Marchwood Close, Nottingham, admitted to stabbing him in the chest but claimed to police that this was done in self-defence.

A manhunt ensued after Connor was found by authorities, with CCTV scoured and mobile phone data analysed to try to trace the then-17-year-old Dockeray-Barnett and Connor himself in the moments before his death. The teenager, who is now 18-years-old, handed himself in as the investigation closed in on him.

However, Nottingham Police said that despite handing himself in, he refused to answer questions put to him by detectives. He only told officers that he had stabbed Connor in self-defence using a blade that Connor himself had dropped before forgetting where he had thrown the knife away. The knife was never recovered

However, during a three-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court, the jury heard that a tense altercation in a nearby underpass at around 7.35pm had led to Dockeray-Barnett confronting Connor later with the knife. Prosecutors argued that the teenager had specifically gone looking for Connor with an intent to cause harm to him.

The jury delivered their majority verdict on Monday, July 22. A second man, 24-year-old Keaton Morgan Adlam, was cleared of murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter on Friday (July 19).

Detective Inspector Clare Gibson said: “Christmas Day will never be the same again for any of Reece’s family and friends.  This senseless act of violence has resulted in the death of a much-loved father, partner, son and friend.  

“Following the attack on Reece, Dockeray-Barnett made no attempt to administer first aid or to call for an ambulance, and was concerned only with getting away from the scene and disposing of vital evidence. I am pleased the jury has reached this verdict and hope that this outcome assists Reece’s family in coming to terms with their terrible loss.”