Andy Mitchell
BBC News, Lancashire
BBC
Thomas Dures was arrested at the airport
A killer who smirked at his victim’s mother as she told a court of her heartbreak was condemned by the judge for “heaping further misery on his family”.
Thomas Dures, 21, escaped to Greece after stabbing Matthew Daulby outside a bar in Ormskirk, Lancashire, in July 2023.
The 19-year-old, from Liverpool, died in hospital shortly after the attack.
His family had to endure two trials as accomplice Henry Houghton was also convicted for the murder in 2024 before Dures eventually handed himself in to police in Athens and was jailed for at least 23 years.
Judge Robert Altham called Dures’ actions “cowardly”, adding: “You have never shown the slightest remorse.
“You smirked and shook your head as his mother read her statement.
“Having murdered Matthew Daulby, you now seek to heap further misery on his family.”
Lancashire Police
Thomas Dures escaped to Greece after committing a murder
Earlier Mrs Daulby told the court her son, who she described as “loving and caring”, had a happy, contented life and was looking forward to his first holiday in Ibiza.
After a family meal on 29 July 2023, he had gone out with his girlfriend and friends for a night out in Ormskirk.
Mrs Daulby said she and her husband Gary were later called to attend Aintree Hospital.
“No parent should hear those words, ‘We did everything we could’,” she said.
“No parent should have to bury their child, it leaves you with pain I can’t even explain.
“What I would give to hear his voice again and have one more cuddle. You broke my heart. You have given us a life sentence of grief.”
Police handout
Matthew Daulby had gone for a night out with friends before the attack
Mr Daulby said in his statement he was “haunted” by the memory of his son’s final moments and felt “crushed” by the emotional toll of losing him.
Dures, from Aughton, Lancashire, along with Houghton lurked in an alleyway before charging at Matthew Daulby and his friends from behind.
Houghton struck Mr Daulby with a tied-up sock containing a rock, before Dures stabbed his victim in the chest.
He discarded the weapon and his bloodied clothes, took a selfie of him smoking a cannabis joint and fled the UK the next day.
Dures was also found guilty of wounding another man with intent during the trial.
Henry Houghton, of Scarisbrick, Lancashire, was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in 2024 for his role in Matthew Daulby’s murder.
Police handout
Henry Houghton was jailed for a minimum of 20 years for his role in Matthew Daulby’s murder