Bodmin murderer jailed for life

Minimum 28 years for stabbing innocent man

A man who murdered an innocent peacemaker and injured four other people in a knife rampage outside a Bodmin nightclub has been jailed for a minimum of 28 years.

Jake Hill killed Michael Riddiough-Allen and stabbed more victims with a Kombat knife he had taken on a night out and hidden in a bush.

Hill had collected the blade and involved himself in an altercation taking place in Castle Canyke Road in the early hours of 30 April 2023.

Rugby player Mr Riddiough-Allen, 32, from Liskeard, had stepped in to disarm Hill when he was attacked. He died at the scene from a single stab wound.

Hill fled the area and was later arrested at a co-defendant’s house, after falling through a loft hatch while trying to escape police.

A jury at Truro Crown Court found Hill, of Jubilee Terrace, Bodmin, guilty of murder and four counts of wounding with intent in March following a six-week trial.

Tia Taylor, 22, was jailed for three years for her role in Mr Riddiough-Allen’s death after she admitted charges of manslaughter and perverting the course of justice.

Chelsea Powell, also 22, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to one year and three months. The judge directed she should serve half of that sentence and as she has been on remand for nine months, she was released immediately.

Both women lied to officers in an effort to distract and delay the police investigation.

On sentencing, Her Honour Mrs Justice Cutts rejected Jake Hill’s reasons for carrying the knife, saying that ‘experience shows that those who carry them are quick to use them’, but that there is ‘no justifications for carrying a weapon in a public place’.

She told Hill: ‘You had no reason to be carrying such a knife’ and ‘you liked the image of being a hardman’. She did not accept that self defence formed any part of his actions that night.

Hill, she said, showed not ‘one shred of remorse’ and that during his evidence she ‘detected absolutely no regret’.

Detective Inspector Ilona Rosson, from Devon & Cornwall Police’s the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Michael Riddiough-Allen tried to protect those around him and disarm a man who felt the need to carry a knife. In doing so, he tragically he lost his life.

“This case highlights the devastation and irreversible damage that carrying and using a knife can cause. No good can come from it.

“This was an incredibly complex and challenging investigation. I would like to thank the investigation team for their tireless dedication to bringing the offenders to justice.

“I’d also like to thank the family of Michael Riddiough-Allen and the surviving victims. They have supported our investigation through the most challenging of times and I commend them for the strength and courage they have shown.

“I hope that the sentences imposed by the judge and the conclusion of this case brings them some closure.”