David Sisman, 21, is set to be sentenced for the murder of Lee Crewe, 36, in Newport after stabbing his unarmed victim with a “large, Rambo-style knife.” The fatal attack took place on May 14 in broad daylight on Chepstow Road, Maindee. Sisman confessed to fatally knifing Mr. Crewe and admitted to carrying a knife in public while selling drugs. However, he pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming self-defence as his reason for the violent act. Tom Crowther KC, Sisman’s barrister, argued that Sisman was defending himself from Mr. Crewe, whom he described as “a roiling cauldron of boastful fury.”
Despite Sisman’s self-defence plea, a jury at Newport Crown Court unanimously found him guilty of murder. Prosecutor Mark Cotter KC acknowledged that Mr. Crewe may have been verbally unpleasant in the encounter but stressed that there was no indication of physical threats towards Sisman. Mr. Cotter described Mr. Crewe as an “unarmed and intoxicated man who was retreating” at the time of the fatal stabbing. The prosecutor questioned Sisman’s decision not to provide any evidence in his defence during the trial and criticised his ‘no comment’ police interview, highlighting the lack of a clear explanation for his actions.
During the trial, the court was shown CCTV footage capturing the horrific stabbing of Mr. Crewe by Sisman. The video evidence revealed that Mr. Crewe did not pose a physical threat to Sisman and did not make any aggressive movements towards him. Following the attack, Sisman fled the scene, discarding the knife in the River Usk as Mr. Crewe lay dying. Sisman, a resident of Hubert Road in Newport, had no prior criminal convictions. His conviction for murder means that Judge Daniel Williams has no choice but to sentence him to life imprisonment, as he made clear in his ruling after the verdict was reached.
The prosecution argued that Sisman’s actions and the evidence presented during the trial did not justify the use of such severe force against an unarmed individual. Despite any unpleasant behaviour on the part of Mr. Crewe leading up to the incident, the prosecution maintained that it did not warrant the fatal stabbing that occurred. With the guilty verdict reached, the sentencing of David Sisman is awaited as the court prepares to deliver justice for the senseless and tragic loss of Lee Crewe. The chilling events of that day on Chepstow Road serve as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of violence within our communities.