Man jailed for life for murdering cellmate at HMP Garth
Shaun Newton was already serving time for a previous attempted murder when he killed Tony Joynes
A prisoner has been jailed for life after murdering his cellmate at HMP Garth, near Leyland.
35-year-old Shaun Newton, from Middlesbrough, compressed the neck of 47-year-old Tony Joynes in the cell they shared on the prison's D wing.
At the time, Newton was serving an 18-year sentence at Garth, having been convicted of attempted murder at Snaresbrook Crown Court in 2019, after stabbing his then-roommate four times with a knife while living in Romford, Essex, in 2018.
What happened
A jury at Preston Crown Court heard that Newton and Tony Joynes had been cellmates for around six months, and were locked in their cell at 5pm on 12th July 2025, remaining there overnight with checks carried out by staff at various times.
When staff carried out welfare checks on the wing on the morning of 13th July, they responded to a buzzer being pressed from the cell. Newton told them he thought Tony Joynes was dead.
Staff raised the alarm and attempted CPR on Tony Joynes, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was noticed that Joynes had an abrasion on his neck which had bled, with blood found on the bed sheets near his pillow. A Home Office postmortem found the cause of death to be neck compression.
The investigation
Lancashire Police's Force Major Investigation Team launched an investigation, and Newton was arrested at the prison on 22nd July and taken for interview at Blackpool Police Station.
Newton told officers that after being locked down for the night, the pair had chatted and played Xbox, before he got onto the top bunk at around 7.45pm. He described Tony as being fine, but said he found him dead the following morning, according to police.
In December 2025, Newton was interviewed again by officers at HMP Full Sutton, and was charged with murder in March this year.
Newton was found guilty by a jury on Tuesday 20th October, following a seven-day trial.
Sentencing
Returning to the dock today, 22nd October, Newton was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Graham Knowles KC, who ordered that he serve a minimum of 34 years before he is eligible to apply to the parole board for release.
"Tony Joynes was 47 when you murdered him," Judge Knowles told Newton.
"He was your fellow prisoner in HMP Garth and he was your own familiar friend. Tony Joynes was a compliant prisoner, he gave no trouble to anyone on the wing," Judge Knowles said.
"You killed him in the night in the cell you shared," Judge Knowles said.
The judge observed there were plain "parallels" between the murder and Newton's previous conviction for attempted murder in Essex.
Reaction
Detective Inspector Marc Armstrong, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: "Shaun Newton chose to kill his cell mate Tony Joynes by compressing his neck while he was laid in bed."
"Tony Joynes believed that Shaun Newton was his friend and trusted him, however Newton betrayed this and showed a total disregard for Tony's life," DI Armstrong said.
"My thoughts remain very much with Tony's family and loved ones," DI Armstrong said.
"I would like to praise the investigation team for their hard work, dedication and professionalism in establishing what happened in that cell at HMP Garth and putting the case together," DI Armstrong said.
"I'd also like to thank the Crown Prosecution Service and prosecution counsel Tim Storrie KC for their hard work and professionalism in readying the case for trial and presenting the case in court," DI Armstrong said.