Killer stole victim's car then crashed it and fled

A man has been convicted of murdering his friend, whose body was not found until two days later when police broke into his flat in Staffordshire.

Bradley Nightingale, 29, killed father Jake Mills, 34, at the apartment on High Street in Cheslyn Hay, before stealing his car, crashing it minutes later and fleeing the scene.

Mills was found with a stab wound to his neck when officers forced their way into the flat last September.

Nightingale, of Bloxwich, Walsall, stood trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, where the jury found him guilty of murder on Thursday.

The defendant had been captured on CCTV leaving the flat on 18 September, Staffordshire Police said.

He was then seen getting into Mills' Audi A5 and driving for a short distance, before crashing it and running away, the force added.

A police investigation uncovered how Nightingale had used his victim's bank card to pay for bus travel on the morning he fled the flat.

He also sold Mills' phone at a pawn shop that same morning, police said.

Two days later, Nightingale was arrested at his home, but told detectives he had been given permission to drive the car, and had not murdered Mills or caused him any injury.

Following his conviction, Nightingale was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced at the same court on 19 June.

Det Insp Gina Pope said: "This was a particularly tragic case which has seen a father taken away from his young daughter, and a wider family which loved him very dearly.

"I'm pleased that we've been able to gather strong evidence to show the jury what happened to Jake, and to provide some closure to his family."

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.