How cops caught murderous lurker in the shadows Jason Hale responsible for fatal alley stabbing
“You have a body, a scene, a devastated family, and as detectives our first questions are who did it and why?”
Last week, Jason Hale, described as “the lurker in the shadows,” was jailed for life for murdering 42-year-old Sheldon Jameson in an alleyway stabbing in Hyde Park, Doncaster.
The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, fixed Hale’s minimum term at 25 years, describing him as someone who was “unquestionably...a man of violence.”
A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “On the morning of September 19, 2025, a member of the public found Sheldon unconscious in an alleyway, and despite paramedics best efforts, Sheldon tragically passed away.
“Officers attended, preserving the crime scene, collecting evidence and asking questions, while a postmortem took place and confirmed that Sheldon died of a stab wound to his chest.”
Now, detectives involved with the case have detailed the investigation which helped to bring Hale to justice, following a Sheffield Crown Court trial.
Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward, explains the extensive work his team of detectives undertook:
“At the start of any murder investigation, you’re thinking ‘who has done it, and why?’ You’re looking for a motive, securing evidence, hoping eventually a dangerous person will be behind bars, and you will secure justice for the victim and their family.
“In Sheldon’s murder, we had no witnesses to the attack, no reports of a disturbance at the time and limited footage, but as our inquiry progressed, we were able to piece together evidence such as the recovery of the murder weapon, and CCTV footage of the murderer in the area at the time of the attack.
“The CCTV that we had was not the clearest, but it immediately demonstrated that we had a predator. It showed a man loitering around the alleyway for no apparent reason and acting suspiciously.
“A man came forward claiming two nights prior and states that he was also attacked by someone in the same alleyway who tried to rob him of cash. The attacker was described as a large man with dark hair and wearing green.
“All of our pieces of evidence started to put Hale as a suspect, and he was arrested on suspicion of murder and brought in for questioning.
“During his interviews, Hale admitted that it was him in the CCTV footage on the night of the murder but claimed he had only ever acted in self-defence. He initially denied being the man on CCTV for the attack two nights earlier – we needed to get to the truth”
While Hale was in police custody, officers searched an address connected to him and part of a broken knife had been hidden in the toilet system.
The weapons started to show that Hale was a dangerous man - a knife carrier, who would use violence to get what he wanted.
DCI Woodward continued: “Piecing CCTV together from nearby roads and premises further confirmed to us that the dark figure loitering on both nights was Hale. The stance, the walk, the movements - it was him, and CCTV identified his green clothing.
“It was at this point, everything clicked together, and we knew we had him in the right place at the right time for both of the attacks”
Hale appeared before Sheffield Crown Court and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years for murder, attempted robbery, and assault.
DCI Woodward praised the work of his team, saying: “The investigation into Sheldon’s death was complex, and my team of detectives and staff, along with all police colleagues who played a part in this investigation showed great commitment to get to the truth ensuring Hale was put behind bars.
“We are committed to ensuring justice is served for a victim and their family, and I am thankful to my team for protecting and serving their community and bringing some closure to Sheldon’s family.”
We thank our officers, teams and staff for their work in keeping our communities safe.