Bailey Atkinson murder: the investigation

3 May 2024

One of the West Midlands Police detectives who led the investigation into the brutal murder of Bailey Atkinson described it as one of the most complex cases he’s worked on.

Detective Sergeant Andy Jelfs paid tribute to the investigating team after seven teenagers were convicted of stabbing to death Bailey in Walsall town centre.

It is thought the murder was in retaliation for an attack on one of the defendants’ brothers two months earlier.

Andy, a West Midlands Police Federation member, said: “I’ve been in West Midlands Police for 29 years and it’s probably the most complex investigation I’ve been involved in.

“I’ve been on homicide since April 2020 and we have had several complex cases but, this was the most horrific and the most harrowing to happen on our streets.”

One of the knives used in the attack.

Bailey, 21, died from multiple stab wounds to his back, arms, and legs.

His final words to a West Midlands Police officer were: “I’m going to die. Tell my mum I love her.”

Bailey was attacked at around 1.20am on 28 January 2023. He was in Walsall town centre with a female friend walking past the market stalls when a car swerved towards them to run them over. Bailey told his friend to run, and he ran along High Street.

The drivers of the two vehicles, a black Seat Leon and a silver Toyota Verso, both of which were stolen and on false registration plates, tried to run him over. Bailey used metal bins, bollards and lampposts to shield himself from the cars.

They eventually caught up with Bailey, at which point six of the occupants got out of the vehicles and attacked Bailey with machetes and ‘Rambo First Blood’ knives – which are widely available on the internet.

At the end of the attack, one of the offenders appeared to try to take a photo of Bailey dying on the floor but was disturbed by members of the public, forcing them to flee the scene.

Despite receiving CPR and open-heart surgery at the scene, Bailey was pronounced dead at hospital a short time later.

It sparked a massive manhunt.

Andy said: “Our priority was to identify the two groups in the vehicles. We believed there were nine of them.

“Five actively took part in the stabbing, one encouraged them to do it and another was driving the Toyota Verso and tried to run him over. Two others remained in the Seat while the attack took place.

“A lot of the attack was caught on CCTV and was being watched live by the CCTV operator, who was able to capture the attack on Bailey, the registration numbers of the vehicles, and their direction of travel.”

DS Andy McDonald was appointed CCTV co-ordinator and pulled together more than 1,000 pieces of CCTV evidence.

Through the CCTV work it was established the group had met in the car park of a nearby supermarket 20 minutes before the attack.

Andy said: “Due to excellent work around the CCTV, intelligence from the public via Crimestoppers and social media, and using phone work, we started identifying the suspects.

“We quickly got an idea of who they were, how they operate, how they associate and where they hang around and live.”

Within 72 hours the first three arrests were made, at a hotel in Rhyl in north Wales. Further arrests followed in Worcester, Bloxwich and Walsall. One suspect handed themselves in, with all nine suspects in custody by 16 February.

Andy said: “We were working 18-hour days for the first three weeks with a homicide team of 16 detectives, the assistance of the CCTV team, which was a further six to eight officers. We appointed a family liaison officer to support his mother and family.

“There was a huge amount of phone work and CCTV work. We needed to know about each suspect that’s going to help us build a picture of why this happened.”

The trial at Nottingham Crown Court lasted 10 weeks.

“The 10 weeks we were at Nottingham Crown Court were intense,” Andy explained. “We were working long hours

“For this case where there were nine defendants, so there were 18 defence barristers plus two barristers for the prosecution, so it was a difficult process.”

At the end of the trial, seven teenagers were convicted of Bailey’s murder.

They are:

Benjamin Wilkes aged 18 of Guild Avenue, Bloxwich
Patrick Brookes aged 18 of Hunter Crescent, Walsall
Sonny Loveridge aged 19 of Irvine Road, Bloxwich
Ronan McCulloch aged 18 of Livingstone Road, Bloxwich

Three 17-year-olds who cannot be named for legal reasons were also convicted. Two other defendants were found not guilty.

Andy said: “The guilty verdicts were massive testament to the dedication of the homicide team, the CCTV team and partner agencies such as the CPS and forensic services. We used prison intelligence, and that assisted our case greatly.

“It really was and really had to be a team effort.

“When the guilty verdicts were returned it’s a massive relief and a sense of achievement when you’ve put so much into it.

“The amount of work that detectives, on homicide particularly, put into investigations is huge.

“We live and breathe the investigation. Our families have to be understanding because, unfortunately, the job ultimately come first.

“We do it for professional pride, job satisfaction and getting the right outcomes for the families of the victims.”

West Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke has been campaigning for a ban on the types of weapons used in the attack, as well as online sales and marketing he believes are aimed at young people and children often involved in violence

Rich has also been calling for a clear deterrent to prevent the carrying of knives in the first place.

“We need prevention, enforcement and sentencing,” he said. “Serious prevention, tough sentences and tough enforcement.”