Man found guilty of murder after stabbing victim twice in Newark
Brandon Byrne will be sentenced on 1 May
Last updated 30th Apr 2026
A man who stabbed someone to death after a fight in a Newark pub has been convicted of murder.
Brandon Byrne, 23, formerly of Winston Court, Newark, has been found guilty of the murder of James Cook, who was 40.
The jury heard how on 30 April 2025, Byrne and Mr Cook had got into a fight in a Newark town centre pub before getting kicked out.
Byrne had been left with a 'significant facial injury', which spurred him to go looking for Mr Cook.
He was already carrying a knife when he started chasing his victim down Stodman Street.
Byrne caught up with him in Castle Gate, stabbed him, and kicked him in the head.
He then proceeded to stab him again as he laid on the ground injured.
The stabbing took place at around 11.50pm, and despite paramedics' efforts, Mr Cook was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.
Byrne was arrested at his address around four hours later.
He asked an officer "did he die?" during the arrest.
Byrne pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in public.
The jury found him guilty, however, and he'll be sentenced on 1 May.
"A disgraceful display of violence"
Detective Constable Kimberley Priestley, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“This shocking and senseless attack sent shockwaves across Newark and caused unimaginable devastation to Mr Cook’s family.
“Brandon Byrne was the person responsible for inflicting that pain through his inexplicable and callous actions that night.
“Having fought with Mr Cook in a pub only minutes earlier – and been injured in the process – Byrne armed himself and went looking for retribution.
“What followed was a disgraceful display of violence, with Byrne chasing his victim down and killing him, having stabbed him not once, but twice.
“Despite everything he’d already done, the attacker compounded things still further by denying murder, which meant Mr Cook’s family had to relive the ordeal all over again in the resulting trial.
“We hope the conclusion of this trial provides Mr Cook’s family with some small degree of comfort.”