Catherine Pattison leading Phillip McGhee of QEB Hollis Whiteman prosecuted Dante Forrest who was convicted of murder following a trial at the Central Criminal Court.
HHJ Lickley KC sentenced Mr Forrest to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years.
In summary, on 20 September 2024 police discovered the body of Marvin Dickson in the bath of a council flat following reports by a neighbour of an unpleasant smell coming from inside the flat. Mr Dickson had suffered multiple blows to the head that had resulted in his death. He been dead for up to 10 days. No one else was present inside the flat when police discovered the body. The flat had been leased to Mr Forrest, but it had also been occupied by others who had used the flat for drugs and other criminal activity. The last CCTV citing of Mr Dickson alive was in the early hours of 10 September 2024 when he was with Mr Forrest. There was no direct evidence against Mr Forrest. An Entomology Expert timed the date of death between 10-12 September 2024. CCTV evidence, forensic evidence (DNA and BPA) linked Mr Forrest to the murder.
