Teenage boy sentenced to life for murder of 'kind, gentle and much-loved' Nuneaton man

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court today (Friday).

This follows the events of the 8 June on Queens Road in Nuneaton, during which 25-year-old Tom Ellis was stabbed whilst out celebrating his birthday.

At around 9.30pm, Tom, accompanied by his partner and members of her family, had been on his way to a pub on Queens Road for a final drink following a day out in Birmingham.

The group passed by a group of four teenage boys. Town centre CCTV footage from the night shows that there was a brief exchange of words between Tom and the boys, the offender twice choosing to go after Tom.

A member of Tom’s group attempted to deescalate the situation, placing herself between Tom and the 17-year-old (16 at the time), who was preparing to produce a knife from his waistband.

During an altercation which took seconds, Tom was stabbed in the chest by the offender.

The group of four ran off down Stratford Street, chased by members of Tom’s party.

Following the attack, ambulance services were called and discovered Tom with a significant stab wound.

Despite attempts from surgeons to save Tom he sadly passed away at 4am the next morning.

All four of the boys who were present were identified within 72 hours of the incident taking place, including the offender.

The offender was linked to the scene through CCTV footage, witness statements, and having ordered food at a nearby restaurant.

A subsequent search of his home address recovered clothing matching what was shown on the CCTV, as well as the knife believed to have been used to kill Tom.

A relative said the boy had been behaving strangely after the incident, including leaving a bottle of bleach-based cleaning product out (when ordinarily he did not clean anything) and being evasive when approached about it.

Detective Inspector Gareth Unett of the Major Investigations Unit said “This was a tragedy involving two complete strangers meeting at random, leading to one of them losing his life in a senseless act of violence.

“I would like to thank the officers and staff who have worked long hours to resolve this investigation, and to the local businesses who were helpful and supportive in helping us gather footage and evidence.

“Most of all to the family of Tom who have acted with absolute dignity during this investigation, I am grateful for their trust, and our thoughts remain with them.

"It’s important I also acknowledge the courage of those who were present at the time of the incident.

“They had to relive the event during the preparation of their witness testimonies and will carry those memories for the rest of their lives. The investigation team remain thankful to them for having the courage and strength to give their accounts.

“Tom was clearly a kind, gentle, and much-loved individual. No sentence will bring him back, but I hope our investigation is able to provide some answers to Tom’s loved ones.

“Warwickshire Police and our communities will not tolerate people carrying knives. We continue to work with partners to educate and divert people away from knife crime. Where individuals carry knives or offend with knifes, we will seek to place them before the courts.

“It is vital you tell us if you think that someone is carrying a knife. It’s too late to save Tom, but you might save someone else.”

Tom’s partner Alexis said “Tom gave me the best memories of my life, the day he left the world felt a little darker.

“Tom’s big smile, laughter and compassion will always be missing from our lives, but we will always love our Viking.”

Tom's dad Chris said "We'd like to thank the police for everything they've done as part of this investigation and all the support that they've given to us."