Man jailed for 28 years after blaming mystery gunman for Nottingham killing
Jack Preston changed his story more than once before being convicted of murder
A man has been jailed for 28 years after shooting dead another man in Nottingham and then telling a series of conflicting stories to try to avoid responsibility.
Jack Preston called 999 shortly after the shooting and told the first of several lies about what had happened to his victim, Coel Tainton.
He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court after a jury found him guilty of murder.
A mystery gunman claim unravels
Preston initially told police that a masked gunman had burst into his kitchen in the early hours of 28th February this year before fleeing into the night.
He claimed to have grabbed the weapon from the intruder, an account he gave from an early stage in an apparent attempt to explain why he would be forensically linked to the gun.
His story began to fall apart when the weapon was found outside the address in Ryeland Gardens, The Meadows.
Officers also discovered a shopping bag containing shotgun cartridges under the stairs at the address.
A mobile phone video was later found showing Preston handling the same weapon earlier that evening, before the shooting took place.
A second version of events
In the weeks that followed, Preston changed his account entirely.
He claimed that Coel Tainton had tried to rob him and had been shot during a struggle between the two men.
Preston said he had moved the gun into the garden to keep it away from Mr Tainton, whom he had left on the kitchen floor.
He admitted a firearms offence and assaulting a police officer during his arrest, but denied murder, claiming he had acted in self-defence.
Guilty verdict and sentencing
A jury at Nottingham Crown Court found Preston guilty of murder following a trial earlier this month.
He appeared at the same court on Thursday 24th September, when he was jailed for 28 years.
Police reaction
Detective Inspector Clare Gibson, of the Major Crime Team at East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said:
"As his victim lay dying, Preston's thoughts turned almost immediately to covering his tracks.
"The idea of a mystery gunman always seemed extremely unlikely and was quickly disproved by the available evidence.
"Ultimately, only one person now knows exactly what happened inside that address, and that is Jack Preston.
"However, rather than tell the truth, he told lie after lie in a bid to cover his tracks and avoid accountability for his own actions.
"His claim that Coel was somehow to blame for his own death was particularly egregious and I am pleased the jury dismissed it for the fabrication it was.
"Coel's family and friends acted with the utmost dignity throughout the trial and they would like to pass on their thanks to every police officer and staff member who worked on the investigation.
"I hope that today's sentence provides them with some comfort," Detective Inspector Clare Gibson said.