Crawley: Couple jailed for murder of Harrison Tomkins in bed

A “coercive and controlling” man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s new lover to death in bed, and his friend who encouraged the attack, have been jailed.

Kaydon Prior (23) and Jason Curtis (22) were sentenced at Brighton Crown Court and told they will serve minimum jail terms of 28 years and 22 years respectively for the murder of Harrison Tomkins.

Mr Tomkins was stabbed several times by Prior, after Prior and Cutis broke into the apartment of Prior’s ex-girlfriend, Alicia Parrin, on August 13, 2023, after learning she was with another man.

In February, Prior, of Hazelwick Avenue, Crawley, and Curtis, of Lairdale Close, Lambeth, were found guilty of Mr Tomkins’ murder.

Prior and Curtis were also found guilty of possession of an offensive weapon, and Prior was found guilty of assault by beating Ms Parrin.

The trial heard the couple were on a night out for Curtis’s birthday in Chelsea, London, before traveling to Ms Parrin’s address in Arthur Road, Ifield, West Sussex, in the early hours of the morning.

He then jumped on Mr Tomkins and stabbed him 10 times in the chest, legs and back with a hunting knife as he lay in bed.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Jeremy Gold said Curtis “played an important role” in the lead-up to this “terrible crime” by helping Prior.

“This was a carefully planned and executed murder of a young man whom none of you knew or had any sensible reason to want to hurt, let alone kill,” the judge said.

He described Prior’s behavior towards Parrin as “increasingly coercive and controlling”.

Giving a victim impact statement to the court, Mrs Parrin said: “As soon as I close my eyes I see (Prior) come into my room and do the unthinkable again.

“I will never be able to leave behind the fear he instilled in me.”