A chilling police video has been released showing a murderer still under the influence of a dangerous legal high telling officers he doesn’t care if his victim lives or dies.
Oliver Parsons was today jailed for life for stabbing a man in the heart at a Brighton flat after taking the legal high Euphoria on Christmas Day last year.
Parsons, 31, yesterday admitted murdering Joe Lewis, from Rustington, West Sussex, at a flat in Warwick Mount, Montague Street in the early hours of December 25.
Today at Lewes Crown Court he was given life, a minimum of 18 years reduced by two years for the time he has already served and his guilty plea.
In the video, he says: “Straight up, no questions, no qualms, we’ll stab you up. That’s what he come up against tonight.
“He thought he could take over the flat, he thought he could bully us, yeah, and he got stabbed. If he dies, I don’t care mate, I don’t care. ”
The court heard that Parsons and the victim, 24-year-old Joe Lewis, had spent Christmas Eve together. They had been out for the day and returned to their friend’s flat around 3pm where they began drinking.
Joe and Parsons had an argument around 1am and Parsons stabbed Joe with a knife. Joe suffered a single stab wound to the heart and died at the scene.
Parsons, of no fixed address, was arrested at the scene on the same day and charged two days later.
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Ashcroft said: “A minor argument over nothing in particular lead to these tragic events of a young man losing his life and another facing a sentence in prison.
“Parsons had drunk a large amount of alcohol and had taken a concoction of cannabis, methadone and a legal high called Euphoria in the hours leading up to the murder.
“This so-called legal high is not for human consumption and is clearly dangerous and can have tragic consequences as they have in this situation.
“This was an extremely sad event especially on a day such as Christmas and my condolences go to Joe’s family. Life in prison serving a minimum of 16 years is a fitting sentence. I would like to thank the prosecution team for working hard to get justice for Joe and his family.
“Judge Barnes said Joe was a gentle man and noted what a tragic and stupid crime Parsons had committed. She also commended the officers who attended the flat on the day for their bravery and professionalism.”
