Man who went on run after killing teenager in Ormskirk jailed for life
Matthew Daulby was fatally stabbed in July 2023
A man who went on the run for 18 months after killing a teenager in Ormskirk has been jailed for life.
Thomas Dures, 21, will spend at least 23 years behind bars after being found guilty of the murder of Matthew Daulby, 19, in July 2023.
Dures was also found guilty of wounding with intent.
A trial at Preston Crown Court heard that Dures and his associate Henry Houghton were seen on CCTV on Railway Road, in the early hours of 29 July 2023, lurking in an alleyway before striding towards Matthew and the group he was with with a lock knife.
Dures opened up the knife, while Houghton was swinging a makeshift weapon comprising of a tied-up sock containing a rock.
Houghton hit Matthew with the weapon with such force that it caused damage to his brain and likely disorientated him, with Dures then stabbing Matthew in the chest.
Dures also stabbed two other men during this altercation, before running off when he heard police sirens.
Matthew was found with stab wounds and was rushed to hospital, but died a short time later.
CCTV then showed Dures doing a loop of Ormskirk town centre, during which he dumped his jacket on a park bench in Triangle Park and dumped the knife near Ormskirk Parish Church.
The jacket was found by a dog walker and the knife was discovered by an estate agent, with both items handed to the police.
Dures, of no fixed address but formerly of Whalley Drive, Aughton, then sent voice notes to his associates before leaving the area in a taxi.
Dures went on the run for a year and a half before eventually handing himself in at a police station in Greece - he denied murder, but was found guilty following a three-week trial.
DCI Andy Fallows, from our Force Major Investigation Team, said:
"After two long years, the man responsible for fatally stabbing Matthew Daulby has finally been brought to justice. This has been two years of pain and frustration in which the Daulbys have had so many unanswered questions.
"They have had to figure out a way to try and grieve, knowing the man responsible to taking their sons life before it had really started was actively evading justice, and celebrating his 21st birthday in the sun. Something Matthew will never be able to do.
"I’d like to thank my investigation team for everything they have done in securing this conviction, the Crown Prosecution Service and our KC, Peter Glenser and junior counsel Katy Appleton. I would also like to thank the public and the media for all the witness appeals they shared, and their help in keeping this case in the spotlight."
Houghton was jailed for life in March for his role in Matthew's murder.