Police have released the first picture of a teenager who killed a pensioner by stabbing him in the heart.
Daniel Rounce, 18, has been handed a life sentence for the murder of Gerald Wickes, 79, on February 22, 2023.
He will serve 25 years behind bars after stabbing Mr Wickes through the heart at his ex-partner’s home in Eyres Monsell, Leicester. Rounce, then 17, was unknown to the two when he entered the home more than a year ago.
After being asked what he wanted, he produced a knife from his jacket and stabbed the pensioner in the chest before fleeing the scene.
Rounce was apprehended the evening after the attack and charged with murder two days later. Leicester Police released a photograph of Rounce, of The Green, Markfield, following his murder conviction on April 15.
The jury at Leicester Crown Court heard from prosecutors that Rounce did not dispute he was the person who stabbed Mr Wilkes but that he pleaded not guilty to murder.
On Monday, jurors heard there would be no defence case, as the defendant’s barrister, Anthony Bell, said he would not appear on the witness stand or provide evidence.
Detective Inspector David Greenhalgh, the senior investigating officer from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said the incident was “devastating”.
In a statement, Det Insp Greenhalgh added that, while the teen has been convicted, the public will “never fully know” why the stabbing took place.
He said: “We will never fully know why this happened and my thoughts very much remain with Mr Wickes’ family.”
He added: “They have lost a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather and this verdict does not make things any easier or bring their loved one back.”
Mr Wilkes’ son, Garry Wickes, remembered his father as “one of life’s helpers” in a statement given previously.
He said: “I am so very proud to say that Ged Wickes was my dad. From the day I was born, he has always been there, from teaching me to swim at a very early age to teaching me to fish which has stayed with me all my life.”
