Man jailed for life for murder of teenager in Ormskirk

A man who fatally stabbed a teenager in Ormskirk and then went on the run for 18 months has today been jailed for life.  

Appearing in the dock at Preston Crown Court this week (28th July) Thomas Dures, 21, was told he will have to serve a minimum of 23 years in custody before he is eligible to go before the Parole Board.    

Following a three-week trial a jury took less than three hours to find Dures guilty of murdering 19-year-old Matthew Daulby and committing wounding with intent against a second man.  

Police officers attended Railway Road at 12.05am on 29th July 2023 to reports of an ongoing disturbance.    

Matthew was found a short distance away with serious stab injuries. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, Matthew sadly died later in hospital.    

A Home Office postmortem examination established that the cause of Matthew’s death was a single stab wound to the chest.    

Our enquiries found that Matthew suffered the fatal wound, as well as other injuries, during an altercation involving a number of individuals shortly after midnight on 28th July 2023.    

Prior to the altercation, CCTV footage played to the jury showed Dures and his associate Henry Houghton lurking in an alleyway.    

Dures is then seen striding towards the group Matthew was with, brandishing a lock knife.     

Dures opened up the blade as he charged towards Matthew’s group, closely followed by Houghton, who was swinging a makeshift weapon comprising of a tied-up sock containing a rock.     

Houghton struck Matthew with the weapon, with such force that it caused damage to his brain and likely disorientated him. It was when he was in this confused state that Dures fatally stabbed Matthew to the chest.    

Dures also stabbed another man during the altercation, before fleeing the scene when hearing the sirens of an approaching police car.    

CCTV footage showed Dures then did a loop of Ormskirk town centre, during which time he discarded his jacket on a park bench in Triangle Park.   

As he continued his route, Dures dumped the knife in a ginnel near Ormskirk Parish Church.    

The jacket was later found by a dog walker and the knife was found by an estate agent. Both items were handed in to the police.    

Dures, of no fixed address but formerly of Whalley Drive, Aughton, sent voice notes to his associates before leaving the area in a taxi.    

He then went on the run for 18 months before handing himself in at a police station in Greece.    

In a victim impact statement to the court, Matthew’s (pictured below) mum Angela said: “Your cowardly actions have meant we have not been able to grieve properly, which has increased our family’s trauma. It left us wondering why you ran, and in a position where we had no choice but to resort to doing things that, as private people, we would never have imagined having to do — like appear on TV appealing for you to be caught and face justice at the worst time in our lives. 

“We have also had to go through two murder trials, all because you are a coward who carried a knife and wanted to avoid capture and owning up to murdering Matthew. Having to watch video footage, repeatedly, of Matthew being murdered and watching you walk away, carry on your evening and your life for another 18 months.  I will never be able to forget or forgive. 

“You have never shown any remorse or even acceptance that you murdered the most precious thing in our lives. 

“You started a whole chain of events and attacked from behind with a knife in a cowardly act that has changed our lives forever. 

“My family will never be the same again. You have spoilt the happiest, loving family anybody could wish to have. 

“I hope the sentence you are given today will be long, and you will never be able to ruin anybody else’s life. I hope you eventually realise the pain you have caused and the consequences your senseless actions have had. 

“While this marks the end of a very long and challenging journey through the criminal justice system, the loss of Matthew is permanent, life-changing, and unbearable every day. Two years ago today was the last time we saw you and said have a nice night. 

“Matthew, you will live on in our hearts forever. We love you and miss you every day.” 

DCI Andy Fallows, from our Force Major Investigation Team, said: “I welcome today’s sentence which brings to an end the Daulby family’s long and arduous wait for justice.  

“Tomorrow marks two years since Matthew was unlawfully taken from them. And the Daulby family have had to wait patiently for the man responsible for delivering the fatal injury to answer for his crimes.   

“They have had to figure out a way to try and grieve, knowing the man responsible to taking their son’s life was actively evading justice, and celebrating his 21st birthday in the sun. Something Matthew will never be able to do.   

“Thomas Dures came back to the UK with the intent of getting in the dock and telling a catalogue of lies. He pointed the finger of blame at everybody but himself and took no accountability for his actions. Thankfully the jury saw through his lies and ensured that Dures will be held accountable for his crimes.  

“I’d like to thank my investigation team for everything they have done in securing this conviction, the Crown Prosecution Service and our KC, Peter Glenser and junior counsel Katy Appleton. I would also like to thank the public and the media for all the witness appeals they shared, and their help in keeping this case in the spotlight. I have no doubt that it kept the pressure up and played no small part in Dures taking the decision to hand himself in.”