Jarvin Blake: Four men jailed over Sheffield stabbing

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Jarvin Blake's killers were jailed at Sheffield Crown CourtImage source, South Yorkshire Police
Image caption,
From top left, Lewis Barker, Caine Gray, Devon Walker and Josiah Foster were jailed for the killing of Jarvin Blake

Four men who stabbed a father-of-three to death as part of a drugs turf war have been jailed.

Drug dealer Jarvin Blake, 22, was knifed in the heart on a Sheffield street on 8 March 2018.

He was chased and attacked in daylight by a rival gang who leapt from a car.

Jailing Lewis Barker, 27, Caine Gray, 27, Josiah Foster, 26, and Devon Walker, 25, at Sheffield Crown Court, the judge said they were "men of violence" who had targeted Mr Blake.

South Yorkshire Police said Mr Blake, a friend and Walker were on Brackley Street just after 15:05 GMT, when Foster's car pulled up and the occupants got out.

Mr Blake and his friend recognised the men and started to run before they were attacked. He was stabbed in the chest and left to die in the street, police said.

Despite urgent medical assistance from members of the public and ambulance staff at the scene, he died in hospital shortly after.

His 24-year-old friend suffered injuries to his leg in the attack, but has since made a full recovery.

The four men were:

Lewis Barker, 27, of North Hill Road, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to murder. He was jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 23 years.

Caine Gray, 27, of Treetown Crescent, Rotherham, was convicted of murder and jailed for life to serve a minimum of 19 years.

Josiah Foster, 26, of Cookson Close, Sheffield, was guilty of manslaughter and had an extended sentence of 15 years.

Devon Walker, 25, of HMP Moorland, was guilty of manslaughter and had an extended sentence of 15 years. He was also jailed for one year, to run concurrently, for the assault against Mr Blake's friend.

Image source, Family photo
Image caption,
Jarvin Blake was stabbed through the heart on a Sheffield street in March 2018

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC said the murder was "wholly down to a drug gang turf war".

Mr Blake had moved from selling drugs in the Gleadless area of Sheffield to Pitsmoor.

Judge Richardson said it was "a planned and premeditated attack due to perceived encroachment on drug territory".

He said that Barker stabbed Mr Blake in the heart and that was the fatal blow.

Judge Richardson said: "All of you are men of violence, each one a practised and dangerous criminal".

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