Barnsley man starting life sentence for murder of father of two
Alan Sutton's family say he was a devoted parent and amazing partner
A man is starting a life sentence after being found guilty of murdering a father of two in Barnsley.
23 year old Callum Strachan of Burton Road fatally stabbed Alan Sutton after an altercation in September of 2024
Police say he fled the scene and pretended to not be involved in the stabbing in the Monk Bretton area of Barnsley.
CCTV footage that was recovered showed a verbal altercation which took place between a group of men, as well as Alan, a few minutes before the fatal stabbing.
The group can been seen shouting at each other in the back garden of a property, with Alan watching, before moving to the front of the property towards the road once the altercation had finished.
Strachan was then seen on a passing car's dashcam footage running at the group while holding a knife, before he stabbed Alan.
Alan sadly died at the scene from a single stab wound to his chest.
CCTV caught Strachan then sitting on a wall as a marked police vehicle travelled towards the scene.
When officers arrested Strachan on suspicion of GBH initially, he claimed it was others who came to attack him and denied any involvement. He was later arrested for murder when Alan was sadly pronounced dead.
Despite the clear footage showing Strachan's horrible actions, he pleaded not guilty to murder, threatening a person with a blade and two counts of possession of a blade, but was found guilty by a jury on 16 February.
Strachan was also on trial and found guilty for a separate incident in Grimsby, where he stabbed a man in June 2024. The victim thankfully survived his injuries.
Detective Chief Inspector Ben Wood, who was the senior investigating officer on the murder case said:
"Strachan thought he could get away with his deplorable actions, fleeing from the scene and stating he was a victim when officers arrested him.
"Clear CCTV and dashcam footage has proven to a jury that he was involved and was the one responsible for taking the life of Alan.
"I hope the results handed out today bring Alan's family some justice they deserve."
Alan's family have shared the below tribute:
"Alan will never get to see his daughter grow up, he will never see any of her milestones, walk her down the aisle when she gets married, or meet her future children. Alan will never get to meet his sons’ adorable baby, his first grandchild.
"After a long wait to get this trial to court, which has had a big impact on his whole family, both mentally and emotionally, we are relieved that justice has been served. No sentence will ever truly compensate for the loss of Alan and the pain that we all feel.
"Alan was so much more than a victim in a court room, he was a devoted parent and an amazing partner to myself. He was a well-liked, caring person and much loved within our community.
"He had a heart of gold and he will be truly, truly missed."
Strachan, appeared back at Sheffield Crown Court today (Friday 1 May), and was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 24 years to be served.