Murderer jailed for life following double stabbing inside flat

A knifeman killed one person and left another seriously injured after stabbing them both inside a Bulwell flat.

Gediminas Cepla launched the savage attack on the man and woman after visiting their address on 20 April this year.

The 43-year-old, who was desperate for money to pay off a drug debt, took a knife to the address and used it to stab Linton Needham 13 times.

Having inflicted fatal injuries on Mr Needham, Cepla then turned the knife on his other unsuspecting victim as she emerged from another room.

After being stabbed twice in the chest, the woman managed to escape through a window before hurdling a fence as Cepla tried to chase her.

Emergency services were called to Cinderhill Walk minutes later and arrived to find the two victims seriously hurt outside the block of flats.

Despite the best efforts of paramedics, 59-year-old Mr Needham was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 34-year-old woman was rushed to hospital meanwhile for treatment on her serious injuries.

Within two hours of the stabbing being reported to the police, officers standing at the cordon were approached by Cepla.

Having volunteered that he knew what had happened and that he’d been inside the flat when the attack took place, Cepla told officers where they could find the knife he'd used.

He was also found to have an injury to his hand, while the weapon was then recovered soon afterwards on a draining board next to the sink inside Cepla's home in Quarry Avenue, Bulwell.

The attacker was duly arrested and later charged with murder and attempted murder.

Claiming he'd acted in self-defence during the double stabbing, Cepla pleaded not guilty to both charges. 

The trial that followed at Nottingham Crown Court ran for 11 days until Wednesday (22 October), when the jury took just over three hours to reach a unanimous verdict.

Cepla, of Quarry Avenue, Bulwell, was subsequently found guilty of murder and wounding with intent. 

He returned to the court earlier today (23 October), where he received a life sentence. Cepla must serve a minimum of 27 years in prison before he can be considered for parole.

Detective Constable Dionne Love, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

"Gediminas Cepla armed himself with a knife before visiting the location of his savage attack.

"Once inside the address, he made the inexplicable decision to stab Linton Needham no less than 11 times, before turning the weapon on his other unsuspecting victim too. 

"While she managed to escape and eventually recover, Mr Needham was left with devastating injuries that ultimately led to him losing his life soon after. 

"Despite his already unforgiveable behaviour, Cepla then exacerbated things still further by lying about what happened and claiming he'd acted in self-defence.

"We're pleased to see the jury saw through his lies in the trial that followed and returned a unanimous guilty verdict within a couple of hours.

"Our hope is that Cepla being convicted for the murder of Mr Needham and the wounding with intent of the woman he attacked will provide some solace to the people impacted." 

Linton Needham