Sentence
Moses Christensen
Moses Christensen (aged 22) was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 8 April 2021 to 28 Years - Life for Murder and 2 other offences. The offences, what the court heard and the sentence passed.
- Court
- Birmingham Crown Court
- Sentenced
- 8 April 2021
- Sentence
- 28 Years - Life
- Judge
- Mr Justice Pepperall
- Convicted on
- Conviction After Trial
2 offences
| Offence | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Murder | Custodial immediate, Life |
| Possession of offensive weapon without lawful authority or reasonable excuse / Threatening with an offensive weapon in a public place | Custodial immediate, 2 Years 4 Months |
What the court heard
He was found guilty of murder in Brown Clee Hill, Shropshire, on 13 August 2020. He had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility. SENTENCING REMARKS OF THE HON. MR JUSTICE PEPPERALL 1. Moses Christensen, you were found guilty by a jury at Stafford Crown Court of the murder of Richard Hall and you pleaded guilty to an offence of having an offensive weapon in a public place. 2. This was a brutal and entirely senseless killing of an innocent stranger who had caused you no offence. I am satisfied on the evidence that you took a sick interest in extreme violence as a teenage boy. In particular, you took pleasure from watching footage of soldiers killing and torturing civilians in conflict situations. You fantasised about killing and came to describe it to the police as a lifelong ambition. You contemplated a career in the Royal Marines at least in part in order that you might find yourself in a position where you could lawfully kill. 3. A month before committing these offences, you purchased a knife with 5½-inch double-sided blades specifically in order to commit murder. Your weapon of choice was all the more fearsome for the serrations on one of its blades. You chose the knife because you already had an identical weapon that you had found suitable for killing sheep and you believed that it would prove to be an efficient weapon for murder. Furthermore, you purchased a knife sharpener to ensure that your weapons could be maintained in order to allow you to kill multiple victims. 4. When you set out from your home armed with your two knives and your knife sharpener on 9 August 2020, you were intent on committing one or more offences of murder. Over the next five days, you rambled around the countryside between Stourbridge and the Clee Hills seeking out potential victims. You coldly and methodically assessed a number of opportunities to kill before selecting Richard Hall as your victim. You quickly calculated that that the chances of successfully murdering Mr Hall were high given the remote location, Mr Hall's age and your greater physical strength. You had the presence of mind to hide your knife, smile an insincere greeting in order to gain the benefit of surprise, and to push Mr Hall to the ground in order to maximise your chances of killing him efficiently. You then set about killing him with savage violence, stabbing Mr Hall in the head and chest with such force that one blow penetrated his skull and another fractured a rib.…
Aggravating and mitigating factors
Planned / Premeditated / Degree of Planning; Specific planned use of the weapon / weapon brought to scene; Mental Health Disorder / Antisocial Personality Disorder / PTSD / Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD)