Youth aged 16 facing life sentence after admitting Nuneaton knife murder

Keen sportsman Tom Ellis, aged 25, died after suffering a single stab wound outside a shopping centre last month.

Tom Ellis, who was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old youth who has admitted murder. (Warwickshire Police/family handout)

A teenage boy who stabbed a 25-year-old man outside a shopping centre has admitted murder.

The 16-year-old youth, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to unlawful possession of a knife and the murder of Tom Ellis.

Mr Ellis died in hospital after suffering a single stab wound in Queens Road, near to Nuneaton’s Ropewalk Shopping Centre, shortly before 9.30pm on June 8.

The facts of the case against his killer were not opened by prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith during a 15-minute hearing on Tuesday.

Following the guilty pleas, Mr Grieves-Smith said the youth’s basis of plea was that the offence was not pre-planned and that there had been no intention to kill.

Judge Andrew Lockhart KC, the Honorary Recorder of Coventry, told the defendant – who accepts intending to cause really serious harm – he will receive a life sentence when he returns to court in September.

The court heard that the youth, who was remanded into secure accommodation, will also be sentenced on the basis that he took the knife to the scene of the offence.

Adjourning the case, Judge Lockhart said: “You have pleaded guilty to murder here today. That is a brave thing for anybody to do.”

The youth was told that a judge will decide at the next hearing on a minimum term to be served before release on life licence can be considered.

“You will receive the appropriate level of credit as you have entered your guilty plea at this relatively early stage,” Judge Lockhart added.

Words cannot express the depth of our grief and the void that Tom's passing has left in our lives.

A statement issued by Tom Ellis's family

After the defendant was led away from the dock, the judge addressed members of the victim’s family sitting in the public gallery, thanking them for their dignity and control during the hearing.

Defence KC Louise Sweet said the defendant “wanted those who are present to know that he wanted to admit his guilt as soon as he possibly could.”

The family of Mr Ellis paid tribute last month to a “gentle giant” who loved to make people laugh.

In a family statement released through Warwickshire Police on June 18, Mr Ellis’s family said: “Our beloved Tom, our son, brother, partner, and best friend, has been cruelly and suddenly taken from us at the young age of 25.

“Our ‘gentle giant’ had an unmatched zest for life, throwing himself into everything he did with boundless enthusiasm and passion.

“Tom was a vibrant soul, known for his love of brightly coloured clothes, his extensive shoe collection, his iconic hairstyle, and his impressive ‘Viking’ beard.

“He could often be found dancing to his favourite tunes, bringing joy and laughter to those around him.”

A member of a local squash club and a keen sportsman, Mr Ellis was also described by his family as someone who cherished his loved ones and was fiercely protective of his friends.

They added: “The love he shared with his partner, Lex, was evident to everyone who saw them together. They had just begun to plan their future — a future that has been tragically cut short.

“Words cannot express the depth of our grief and the void that Tom’s passing has left in our lives.”