Killer jailed for life for murdering Banbury man in violent baseball bat and knife attack

Janaed Saeed Akhtar was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years for the murder of Neil Comins in January.

The 40-year-old was also sentenced to five years and six months in prison for perverting the course of justice, which will run concurrently.

Neil Comins, 39, was brutally attacked and killed by Akhtar in the early hours of Wednesday, January 3, at an address in Cope Road, Banbury.

The court heard that Akhtar had attacked Mr Comins by hitting him in the head with a baseball bat and stabbing him to the right side of his neck.

Akhtar then called the emergency services, and Mr Comins underwent surgery for a head injury.

Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, Mr Comins sadly died in hospital the following day (January 4) due to his extensive and serious injuries.

A post-mortem examination carried out found that Mr Comins had died as a result of a traumatic head injury sustained during the attack.

Following the death of Neil Comins, Akhtar tried to implicate two innocent people, who were also residents at his Cope Road flat.

One of the men was then implicated in the murder and another for an alleged assault on Mr Comins.

The false allegations by Akhtar led the police to not believe him to be a suspect and resulted in two innocent people being arrested for crimes they did not commit.

However, DNA evidence was found on the baseball bat that belonged to Akhtar, and Mr Comins’ blood was found on a trainer belonging to Akhtar, who was charged with murder on January 10.

On July 16, Akhtar was found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict of murder and perverting the course of justice, following a three-week trial at Oxford Crown Court.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Mike Roddy, of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “The conclusion of this case sees Akhtar jailed for life for the violent murder of Mr Comins.

“The attack was completely needless, and whatever the motives, it was clear that Akhtar intended to cause Mr Comins very serious harm that night.

“The fact that Akhtar then made completely false allegations against co-residents shows the complete lack of remorse he has shown throughout. He cared for nobody other than himself and still denies any involvement, despite the weight of DNA evidence against him."

Inspector Roddy also paid respects to Neil Comins family and offered his thoughts to them. He said: “Mr Comins’ family have had to endure a harrowing investigation while we brought Akhtar to account for his actions.

“They have been remarkably dignified throughout the course of the last nine months, and my thoughts remain with them all.

“Akhtar will now serve a very lengthy prison sentence, and although I know that no court outcome will come as solace for Mr Comins’ family, I do hope that this outcome will, at least, offer a small measure of closure for them as they look to the future without Mr Comins in their lives.”