A MONK Bretton man who fatally stabbed a dad-of-two before fleeing the scene and pretending he had no involvement has been handed a life sentence.
On Sunday, September 1, Alan Sutton was found by officers on Burton Road with stab wounds to his chest.
CCTV footage showed a verbal altercation which took place between a group of men, as well as Alan, a few minutes before the fatal stabbing.
The group can been seen shouting at each other in the back garden of a property, with Alan watching, before moving to the front of the property towards the road once the altercation had finished.
Callum Strachan, 23, of Burton Road, was then seen on a car’s dash-cam holding a knife and running at the group.
He then stabbed Alan, who died from a single stab wound to the chest.
Alan’s family have paid tribute to him and in a statement, they said: “Alan will never get to see his daughter grow up, he will never see any of her milestones, walk her down the aisle when she gets married, or meet her future children.
“Alan will never get to meet his sons’ adorable baby, his first grandchild.
“After a long wait to get this trial to court, which has had a big impact on his whole family, both mentally and emotionally, we are relieved that justice has been served.
“No sentence will ever truly compensate for the loss of Alan and the pain that we all feel.
“Alan was so much more than a victim in a court room, he was a devoted parent and an amazing partner to myself.
“He was a well-liked, caring person and much loved within our community.
“He had a heart of gold and he will be truly, truly missed.”
After the stabbing, Strachan fled the scene and further CCTV showed that he was sitting on a wall as a marked police vehicle travelled towards the scene, attempting to hide the fact that he had just left the area.
When officers arrested Strachan on suspicion of GBH initially, he claimed it was others who came to attack him and denied any involvement.
He was later arrested for murder when Alan was pronounced dead.
Despite the CCTV clearing showing what Strachan had done, he pleaded not guilty to murder, threatening a person with a blade and two counts of possession of a blade.
However he was found guilty by a jury on February 16.
Strachan was also on trial and found guilty for a separate incident in Grimsby, where he stabbed a man in June 2024.
That victim survived his injuries.
Strachan was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 24 years to be served at Sheffield Crown Court last Friday.
Detective Chief Inspector Ben Wood said: “Strachan thought he could get away with his deplorable actions, fleeing from the scene and stating he was a victim when officers arrested him.
“Clear CCTV and dashcam footage has proven to a jury that he was involved and was the one responsible for taking the life of Alan.
“I hope the results handed out today bring Alan’s family some justice they deserve.”
