Troy Harkness

Unsolved Murders

Age: 22

Sex: male

Date: 19 Jan 2022

Place: Abbey Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire

Troy Harkness was found stabbed in Abbey Road, Basingstoke on 19 January 2022.

He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. He had been stabbed in the chest and suffered from catastrophic blood loss. He had been stabbed twice, once in the heart.

A 23-year-old man was tried for his murder but acquitted.

At the trial the man said that he didn't believe that he had stabbed anyone.

It was heard that no one saw the man take out a knife and no one saw him stab Troy Harkness.

The prosecution claimed that the man had gone to Melrose Walk armed with the knife after Troy Harkness had taken his drugs and bike.

The defence stated that although the man had had a knife with him at the time, when he had taken it out he had only held it at his side to defend himself and scare Troy Harkness away. It was further heard that when the man was arrested and the police seized the knife that he had been holding, that none of Troy Harkness's DNA or blood was found on it. However, it was heard that some of Troy Harkness's DNA was found on one of the man's gloves.

The defence said:

If that knife was used to stab Troy Harkness, not once but twice, do you think the scientists would have found some trace of Troy Harkness's DNA? The absence of DNA on the knife that Jordan Clarke was carrying that night is a real concern.

The defence added:

What really happened in that alleyway? If the man believed he had stabbed Troy Harkness what is the likelihood of him returning to Melrose Walk still carrying the knife used to stab Troy Harkness. What happens when one man stabs another? He runs away and he ditches the knife. He knew the police are coming, but he does not run away but why not? He had just stabbed someone, not once but twice according to the prosecution, but he did not think he had stabbed anyone.

The pathologist that carried out the post mortem stated that the injuries to Troy Harkness could have been caused with 'mild to moderate force', and the defence asked, 'Could the man have stabbed Troy Harkness without realising it? Is that why he is so convinced he did not stab him?'.

When the man was arrested, he said:

I did not stab him, my bike has been stolen, he had a knife, what was his name? He said he was going to 'chef me up'.

However, during his interview, when asked whether he stabbed Troy Harkness, the man replied, 'No comment'.

At the trial the defence submitted that the man might have stabbed Troy Harkness in self-defence after being threatened by him, noting that during the row Troy Harkness had threatened to 'chef him up', and had held up his jacket and showed the handle of what the man believed to be a knife.

The defence added:

If you were in his shoes, what would you have done? Was he supposed to stand there and wait to be stabbed? If a man believes he is about to be stabbed, he is allowed to use reasonable force to defend himself.

The man was tried at Winchester Crown Court in August 2022 but found not guilty.

see www.bbc.co.uk

see Hampshire Live