Wayne Rule

2 offences

What the court heard

He pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder in Spalding, Lincolnshire, on 20 December 2021. Sentencing Remarks of Mr Justice Picken 1. I must sentence you on one count of murder and one count of attempted murder arising from two separate incidents (approximately an hour apart) which occurred in Spalding in the very early hours of 20 December 2021. 2. You pleaded guilty to those offences on 4 January 2023. You have, as such, accepted responsibility (albeit belatedly) for the death of one man and an intention to kill another. 3. The attempted murder was the first in time. At about midnight, you went to 20A Bodwitch Road in Spalding, where a friend of yours, Mark Stone, lived. He was in bed when you burst in with a knife in each hand - one a 10-inch carving knife and the other a smaller knife. You launched at Mr Stone, stabbing him some ten times or so to the face, neck, shoulder, back, left upper arm and right arm. You appeared, however, to be focusing on Mr Stone's chest as he was trying to deflect you. 4. He asked you what you were doing given that you and he were friends. You told him, in reply, that he had ruined your life. Mr Stone did not know what you were referring to. Mr Stone said: "Don't kill me Wayne, I love you". You were making growling noises and spit was flying from your mouth. Mr Stone was clear that you were aiming to stab him in the heart. 5. The last of the stabs was to Mr Stone's left side. He heard a popping noise and a whooshing sound, like a tyre being punctured; he felt air coming from his lung. You had punctured his lung. Mr Stone thought at that point that he was going to die and said to you: "You've killed me now, that's the one that's done me". You replied: "That's what I came here for you fucking idiot". You, then, asked Mr Stone: "Now where's the drugs and the money?", before opening a cabinet and taking out a small tub containing heroin worth approximately £15 - £20. You then left. As you did so, you stopped outside a neighbour's door and shouted something like "You ain't seen nothing". 6. Mr Stone was attended by paramedics and taken to hospital where he was given life-saving treatment to deal with the punctured lung. He had suffered major blood loss requiring blood transfusions and two chest drains. His condition deteriorated, however, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. He was in intensive care for 6 days. 7. Fortunately, Mr Stone survived. Tragically, that was not the case with your other victim that…

Around this case

• Lincoln Crown Court
• Prosecuted by CPS East Midlands
• Investigated by Lincolnshire Police