A 16 year jail term has been imposed on a man who caused fatal injuries to his victim during an assault in Dover. Ajay Porter attacked Derek O’Hare in the stairwell of a block of flats in Anstee Road on the evening of Monday 11 December 2023.
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Porter, formerly from an address in Dover, was arrested later the same week following an investigation by detectives from Kent Police. After a three-week trial at Canterbury Crown Court, the 36-year-old was found guilty of manslaughter on Monday 1 July 2024. He was brought back before the same court on Friday 25 October and jailed for 16 years. He was also ordered to serve an extra four years on licence.
Shortly after 10pm on the day of the incident, Kent Police was called to reports of a disturbance in the building and emergency services arrived to find Mr O’Hare had suffered a number of stab wounds. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Detectives established that messages were exchanged between the two men, who were known to each other, in the days before the attack, and Porter had become angry at Mr O’Hare. Records also showed the two men had a phone conversation before the incident. CCTV recovered by police showed Porter leaving his home shortly after the phone call. Minutes later, Mr O’Hare’s neighbours heard shouting in the stairwell and looked out to see Porter confronting Mr O’Hare. He then fled the scene.
Forensic evidence recovered from both the scene and a stick contained traces of Porter’s DNA.
Detective Inspector Colin McKeen said:
‘This was an extremely violent attack outside Derek O’Hare’s home, which left him with catastrophic and unsurvivable injuries.’Porter is a dangerous man, who I am pleased we have taken off the streets of Dover. My thoughts and those of my team remain with Mr O’Hare’s family. I hope the sentence now imposed gives them some comfort as they cope with their loss.’