Jailed: Dangerous Telford killer who strangled man so hard he broke four bones in his neck

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Mr Wilkins, 58, was rushed to hospital and taken to intensive care after the incident in Westerdale Close, Doseley on April 5, 2022.

But days later, medics informed his family he was brain-dead and his life support was switched off. 

Mr Wilkins died on April 10 with his daughter Leah holding his hand.

Birmingham Crown Court was told that late in the afternoon on April 5, Lane was with his cousin.

He knew that there was “tension” between her and Mr Wilkins, her former partner.

Mr Wilkins attended the address and Lane went out, “prepared to involve himself in a confrontation”.

Lane was stabbed twice in the leg with a Stanley knife by Mr Wilkins, and it was accepted that in the initial stages of the fight, he was acting in self-defence.

However, Lane gained the upper hand over Mr Wilkins, and there became a point when he used an unreasonable amount of force.

Lane was said to be sounding “angry” on CCTV footage of the incident, and he strangled Mr Wilkins for “several minutes”.

“Unrelenting” Lane kept hold of Mr Wilkins's neck after he fell unconscious and his face turned blue before police arrived on the scene.

Mr Wilkins went into cardiac arrest and a pathologist said the lack of oxygen caused permanent brain damage.

Due to Covid restrictions, Mr Wilkins’s loved ones were not permitted to see him until it was almost time to say their final goodbyes.

'The most painful moment of my life'

Mr Wilkins was a father of daughter Leah and son Bradley. His daughter read a harrowing victim impact statement, describing the moment she played a farewell voice note to him from his son, who couldn’t bear to be there as his father's life slipped away.

Fighting back tears, she told the court: “It was the most painful moment of my life. It had the whole room in tears.

“Dad fought to stay with us. It took an hour [after the life support was switched off] before he fully let go.

“He was our rock. His humour, warmth and security are the things I miss the most.

“He was the light in our lives. Now that light has gone.

“We will never forget what happened. We carry his love with us every day.

“His death doesn’t define us, but the scars will always be there.”

A statement from his son Bradley was read to the court. In it, he said: “A doctor met us to explain he was in a very bad way and wanted to prepare us for what we were about to see.

“I saw him lying there, covered in tubes and wires. He looked bruised, pale and lifeless.

“Shortly after we were told there was no hope of recovery and the machine had to be turned off. I felt numb.

“I said my goodbyes there and then. I felt so guilty. I wanted him to know I loved him.

“I recorded a voice note. It took me hours to find the right words.”

Jackie Harris, Mr Wilkins’s sister, said in a statement: “The loss of my brother has been absolutely devastating. I don’t understand why this happened.

“His infectious laugh, his heart of gold and the way he would do anything for anyone made him special.

“Making the decision to turn off his life support was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

“Every birthday, Christmas or family event feels incomplete.”

Mr Wilkins’s sister-in-law, Emma Williams, said: “His violent death has shattered our lives.

“He was a caring man. He was the life of the party. He was always ready with a joke, a debate or a story. He did not deserve this.

“His absence leaves a hole that can never be filled.”

Brutal assault

Lane was also in court to be sentenced for a brutal assault in which he ganged up on a man in a Telford street with two others and battered him with punches, kicks and stamps.

At around 6pm on August 27, 2024 in High Street, Dawley, a man was punched in the head by someone he did not know.

He ran away into an alleyway off the street, where he was then set upon by three men; one of them was Lane and one of the others was Kaiden Clarke.

CCTV footage was shown of Clarke, aged 19, delivering a left hook to the victim’s face before unleashing a flurry of punches.

Lane then arrived on the scene, punching, kicking and stamping on the victim’s head while he lay defenceless on the floor.

The victim suffered a dislocated jaw and damage to his left eye socket, as well as facial bruising. He identified Lane as one of his attackers to police, telling them he had known him for 10 years.

Lane, of Portley Road, Dawley, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Wilkins after trial in September last year. 

He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, relating to the Dawley attack. He has two previous convictions: one for violent disorder in 1996 and another for possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear or alarm in 2008.

Clarke, of Monksmoor Road, Lightmoor, Telford, was due to be sentenced at the same time as Lane but did not turn up to court. 

A warrant was issued for his arrest.

Paul Smith, mitigating, had told Judge Andrew Smith KC that “there isn’t a day” when Lane doesn’t think about Mr Wilkins, and “wishes he could turn back time".

However, Judge Smith did not accept that mitigation, saying that Lane appeared to show “not a shred of remorse” based on his pre-sentence report.

“He doesn’t demonstrate any sort of remorse whatsoever,” the judge said.

“He continues to blame others in relation to both of these violent offences.”

Mr Smith added that Lane is a father of a young child, and said he has become an “enhanced” prisoner in jail, mentoring other inmates with reading and writing.

Judge Smith told Lane: “He [Mr Wilkins] was a much-loved individual. No sentence available can measure the enduring loss that will be felt by his family.

“Your unlawful attack carried a high risk of death which should have been obvious to you. He told you he couldn’t breathe.”

On the Dawley attack, the judge said: “This was a gratuitous group attack. It was luck rather than judgement that he did not suffer more serious injuries.

“You committed the offence while on bail for manslaughter. That is a significant aggravating factor.

“You put significant blame on your victims. You have little, if any, mitigation worth any weight.

“You are a dangerous offender. The author of the pre-sentence report says you pose a high risk of serious harm to anyone you come into conflict with.”

The judge jailed Lane for 11 and a half years. It is expected he will serve seven and a half behind bars before being released on licence.

Lane will not be eligible for parole until two thirds of his sentence has been served in custody.

“May I extend my condolences to the family,” the judge said, addressing Mr Wilkins’s loved ones in court.