'Cowardly monster' stole the life of 'loving and loyal' man

Joseph Holland, 25, had been found dead inside a house on Huyton House Road on June 8 this year after suffering multiple stab wounds after being attacked by the “ketamine-fuelled” James Preston.

Joseph, who police confirmed had previously lived in St Helens, suffered four stab wounds, including one to the chest which penetrated his heart.

After James Preston had pleaded not guilty to murder, a trial was held.

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Last Thursday, December 14, Preston was found guilty of Joseph’s murder as a jury dismissed his claims he was acting in “self defence” after Joseph had picked up a knife from the kitchen.

At today’s sentencing hearing judge David Aubrey KC outlined the circumstances that led to the brutal murder which saw Joseph suffer 11 incision wounds and the four stab wounds, which also included one to the back of his skull.

Joseph Holland (Image: Merseyside Police)

The court heard that Preston, 21, and Joseph had been out with friends at the Jumbo Chinese Restaurant in Dovecot, Liverpool on the evening of June 7, before heading to the Deysbrook Pub.

Judge Aubrey said: “There had been drinks consumed and you (Preston) had been taking ketamine both in the restaurant and the public house.”

The defendant, Joseph and a friend Sean Ruud had then gone back to Preston’s parents’ house on Huyton House Road.

The judge said they had “probably had some nitrous oxide” and a “cocktail of alcohol and drugs”.

It was said the atmosphere between the three had been “good”. However, the judge said he had “no doubt” that the “consumption of alcohol and drugs, on your (Preston’s) part ketamine” had played a “significant part” in the events shortly after.

The court heard there had been a dispute between Preston and Sean Ruud in which the latter “sustained some injuries to his face” and he left the house. Joseph had said Preston had been “out of order”.

The sentencing took place today at Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

The judge said: “What the catalyst was for you to attack Joseph Holland one will never know. I am satisfied that it was you who picked up that large knife, not the deceased as you maintained.

“You attacked him for no apparent reason, there must have been some catalyst but you were fuelled by ketamine and alcohol and you murdered him.   

“I’m satisfied that this was a ferocious attack and that you had certainly an intention to kill.

He added: “You did so in a transient drugged haze which is an aggravating factor.”

The court was told that after Joseph’s death Preston had “cleaned the house” and “moved the body to the bathroom”.

The trial had heard Preston left a note saying “it was me or him”, which the judge called “a deliberate attempt to attempt to conceal what you had done.”

The court heard that after Mr Ruud had left the property, Joseph had asked friend Darren Mulholland to pick him up, who was also Preston’s half-brother. When Mr Mulholland tried to contact Joseph, Preston answered, lying to him, saying Joseph had “left in a taxi”.

After the murder, Preston had fled the region after the murder before he voluntarily surrendered to custody in Kent.

Today, Preston was given a mandatory life sentence for the murder by judge David Aubrey KC at Liverpool Crown Court.

In a victim impact statement by Joseph’s mother Brenda, read out by prosecuting barrister Mark Ford KC it was said: “James Preston is an evil cowardly monster, I hope he rots in hell.

“We can never forget the monster that is James Preston for what he has done to our family and for putting us through hell in two weeks of a trial.”

Judge Aubrey said to Preston: “Joseph Holland was 25, you are 21, and he was your friend, (but) he was far more than just your friend, he was a son, a brother, a boyfriend and a friend to many.

“You have shattered his family's lives and their lives will never be the same. He was a loving and loyal man.”

He said the use of the knife was “an aggravating factor”.

The judge ordered Preston to serve a minimum term of 17 years in jail before being eligible for parole, minus the 192 days he has so far spent in custody.

Defending Preston, Nick Johnson KC made reference to his client’s age in mitigation and that he “had no previous convictions for violence” and that there was “no significant pre-meditation” to the killing.