Lee Davies: Watch moment officers wrestle Rotherham murderer to ground as family thank jury & heroic witnesses

This body-worn video shows the arrest of Simon Welsh, who, earlier this afternoon, was found guilty of murdering Lee Davies in a Rotherham car park stabbing last summer.

Welsh’s co-accused, Jake Shaw, has also been found guilty murdering Mr Davies, who leaves behind two young children.

Welsh, aged 38, of Doncaster Road, East Dene, Rotherham, and Jake Shaw, 27, of Canklow Road, Canklow, were convicted on a joint enterprise basis, meaning prosecutors did not have to prove which defendant inflicted the fatal stab wound to Mr Davies’ heart for them to be guilty of murder.

A third defendant, Martin Shaw, aged 46, of no fixed abode, was acquitted, after the jury of five men and six women returned a not guilty verdict.

Speaking after the verdicts were returned, Mr Davies’ family have now released a statement, in which they thanked the” jury and heroic witnesses” who helped to bring Welsh and Jake Shaw to justice.

They said: “Today we feel that justice has been served and we welcome the guilty verdict placed upon the defendants.

“Losing our son Lee Peter Davies has taken an enormous toll on our family.

“He will be missed beyond measure, especially by his two young children who now have to grow up and navigate life without a father.

“We would like to thank the jury, the heroic witnesses who came to court and the investigation team for their time and efforts and a special thanks to the prosecution team, the OIC and SIO and our Family Liaison Officer.

"We now ask that we are afforded the time to grieve for Lee privately knowing that his murderers are going to be punished appropriately."

Judge Sarah Wright adjourned sentence until June, when she will sentence both Welsh and Jake Shaw to life imprisonment. She will fix the minimum term each defendant must serve during the same hearing.

Opening the Crown’s case against the three defendants, prosecutor Craig Hassall KC previously told the jury of six men and six women that at the time of the alleged murder the three defendants and Mr Davies were known to each other, and were all “drug users who would regularly spend time in Rotherham town centre.”

Mr Hassall told the jury an eye witness had suggested the fatal incident arose out of an argument over a £10 bag of crack cocaine, resulting in a “two-sided” fight, “with the defendants on one side, and Mr Davies on the other.”

Mr Davies died from a single stab wound to the left, top side of his chest, which penetrated cartilage between his ribs and breast bone through to his heart’s right ventricle, in the early hours of Tuesday, June 18, 2024. He suffered the injury during an incident in a car park off Drummond Street in Rotherham town centre.

Welsh has also been found guilty of a further charge of grievous bodily harm with intent relating to a separate incident in the same Drummond Street car park, seven months before Mr Davies’ murder.

Welsh’s grievous bodily harm charge relates to an assault is alleged to have taken place in the same covered Tesco car park, off Drummond Street on November 6, 2023, around seven months before Mr Davies’ death.

He attacked a man by the name of Michael Williams, who has since died from cancer. Mr Williams suffered a fractured skull, along with a fracture to his nasal bone.

Prior to the jury being sworn in, Mr Welsh pleaded guilty to a lesser offence of causing Mr Williams grievous bodily harm without intent, but this was rejected by prosecutors.