On 9 February 2026, David Lane was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in prison for the manslaughter of 58-year-old Paul Wilkins in Telford, Shropshire. Lane, 48, of Portley Road in Dawley, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court following a violent incident in April 2022.
The attack took place on 5 April 2022 during a dispute at a home on Westerdale Close in the Doseley area. Court evidence showed Lane held Mr Wilkins on the ground and strangled him for several minutes while the victim pleaded that he could not breathe. Mr Wilkins, a warehouse operative, died in hospital five days later on 10 April 2022.
West Mercia Police led a complex investigation that lasted more than three years before the case reached court. Detective Chief Inspector Jo Whitehead of West Mercia Police thanked the investigation team for their work in securing justice for Mr Wilkins and his family, and said the force hoped the conclusion of the case would provide a measure of closure for the victim’s loved ones.
West Mercia Police described Lane as “dangerous”. Court reporting and police statements said the force used fractured four bones in Mr Wilkins’ neck. The sentencing concludes the legal process after Lane was found guilty by a jury on 22 September 2025 (by a majority verdict).
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