Exclusive:Michael James: Sheffield man guilty of killing love rival Bradley Hollis in knife attack at family home
A 45-year-old man has been found guilty of killing a love rival in a knife attack at a family home while his children were sleeping upstairs, after the jury found him guilty of manslaughter moments ago.
Bradley Hollis, aged 35, died in an incident on Barlow Drive, Stannington, in the early hours of Sunday, March 16, 2025.
Michael James has been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for the last fortnight, accused of killing Mr Hollis and possessing a bladed article in a public place, after denying the offences at an earlier hearing.
The jury returned guilty verdicts a few seconds ago.
The jury of six men and six women found James unanimously guilty of Mr Hollis’ manslaughter, but not guilty of his murder.
They returned their verdicts this afternoon (Wednesday, October 15, 2025), after 13 hours and 42 minutes of deliberation.
James, formerly of Barlow Drive, Stannington, was also found guilty of an additional charge of having a bladed article in a public place.
He is due to be sentenced tomorrow (Thursday, October 16, 2025).
Discharging the jury this afternoon, Judge Graham Reeds KC thanked them for their public service and the “obvious care” they had taken in reaching their verdicts.
The court heard how the fatal attack was carried out by James at the home he shared with ex-partner Zara Tolley and their children, and lasted for just one minute and 51 seconds.
Their children were upstairs at the time of the attack, the jury previously heard.
Opening the prosecution case, Mr Thyne said Mr James and Ms Tolley had been in a relationship for around 10 to 11 years, during which they had two children, and had planned to marry in 2024.
However, instead of marrying, the pair split up last year, but Mr James continued living at the family home, until the date of the fatal incident.
During 2024, Ms Tolley also started a new relationship with Mr Hollis.
The prosecutor characterised both of the relationships as “unhealthy,” with both men arrested for violence towards Ms Tolley in separate incidents.
Mr James, the jury was told, attacked Ms Tolley during a family event, and was alleged to be responsible for a deterioration in both her “mental health and physical cleanliness,” according to evidence provided by her sister.
It was claimed Ms Tolley was also believed to have been mistreated by Mr Hollis, who was alleged to have thrown a hammer through the window of the family home, and to have assaulted her in Blackpool, with the latter incident resulting in social services becoming involved.
“It was against that backdrop that the jealous, controlling and sometimes violent nature of both men formed a catalyst for what was to occur,” explained the prosecutor.
The jury were read messages sent from Mr James to Ms Tolley in the weeks leading up to Mr Hollis’ death.
One such message read: “I’m telling you now, if that w****r comes anywhere near my kids, I’ll kill you both. And don’t think I won’t because I will.”
Jurors heard that in the hours leading up to the early-hours attack, Ms Tolley was home with Mr James, and was exchanging messages with Mr Hollis.
“She described how he snatched the phone from her, demanding to know who she had been messaging. He threw the phone from the upstairs window, and also assaulted her a number of times, punching her and hitting her over the head with a bottle,” Mr Thyne said.
Mr James subsequently took Ms Tolley’s phone, left the property and locked the door behind him.
He observed events at the property using live footage on the property’s doorbell camera, watching the comings and goings, and listening to audio from within the property, while he was in an outbuilding near allotments at Rivelin Valley Park, the court heard.
Mr James also issued a number of threats to Ms Tolley during phone conversations after he left the property, the court was told.
Jurors heard that Ms Tolley subsequently escaped and went to a nearby friend’s house, while a taxi was called to bring Mr Hollis to the house.
Ms Tolley and her friend were waiting for Mr Hollis when Mr James returned to the property a matter of minutes before Mr Hollis was due to arrive.
A scuffle ensued between the two men after Mr Hollis entered the property through the living room window, the jury were told.
Both of the eye witnesses, Ms Tolley and her friend, described Mr James and Mr Hollis fighting with their fists, with neither man initially taking the upper hand.
Mr Thyne said both eye-witnesses watched as Mr James took a knife from the kitchen, following which Mr Hollis suffered a number of stab and slash wounds.
Ms Tolley’s friend, the other eye-witness, said she saw Mr James “making two or three upper cut motions” as he stabbed Mr Hollis.
Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson said Mr Hollis suffered a fatal wound to his heart, inflicted with sufficient “force” to cut through breast bone. The other stab wounds were on his left shoulder and rib cartilage.
Despite the best efforts of the paramedics who tried to save Mr Hollis’ life, he was pronounced dead at 3.39am that morning.