Man jailed over murder of father-of-four killed in 'senseless attack'

A drug dealer has been jailed for life for the murder of a man in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Kieran Carter, 22, from Birmingham, was jailed for a minimum of 17 years in prison, minus the time he had already spent in custody.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Carter had gone to Daniel Rae's house on 17 December 2023 to collect a drug debt but during the visit stabbed the father-of-four in the leg.

Witnesses described "a scuffle or fight coming from Mr Rae's room" at the property on Princess Street.

Carter had "suffered a very serious wound to [his] hand" and Mr Justice Nicklin said he was "satisfied that, on the balance of probability, that Mr Rae armed himself with a knife".

At Carter's trial, the jury found he "did not act in self defence when [he] inflicted the fatal injuries on Mr Rae".

"Whatever your intention had been, it was rather overtaken by events after you arrived at Mr Rae's flat," the judge added.

In a victim impact statement, Anthony Rae told the court his son "died in horrific circumstances".

"We constantly relive searching for explanations, trying to make sense of what happened," he said.

He said the family thought about Mr Rae, who was 30 at the time of his death, "all the time".

"We worry about our grandchildren and the effects this will have on them throughout their lives," he added.

In a statement read out on her behalf, Mr Rae's mother Adele Webster, she said he was her "first-born child and only son".

She said she had "lost [her] purpose in life" and "a part of [her had] died".

Ms Webster said she would remember her son as "a polite, well-mannered young man with the biggest heart".

"This was a senseless attack over a stupid amount of money," she added.

"I can never forgive those responsible for taking Daniel from me, his family and most importantly his children."

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Carter was jailed for a minimum of 16 years and 89 days for Mr Rae's murder.

For the supply of Class A and Class B drugs, he was sentenced to five years and four months in prison to run concurrently.

Chad Joy, 33, was handed a sentence of nine months in prison suspended for 18 months for assisting an offender.

He was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and the judge imposed a rehabilitation activity requirement of 25 days.

Amy Jones, 37, was handed a sentence of 10 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months for perverting the course of justice.

She must complete 100 hours of unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement of 20 days and 12 one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional.