Brothers received life sentences for murdering drug couriers

Two brothers have been given life sentences for the murder of a cocaine runner who refused to give them credit.

Levi Kent, 22, was chased and stabbed repeatedly in Gosport, Hampshire, in November 2023.

Aiden West, 25, of Tudor Close, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for murder and six years concurrently for robbery at Portsmouth Crown Court.

His half-brother Tommy West, 18, of Fisgard Road, was jailed for 21 years for murder, plus concurrent sentences of five years for theft and one year for possessing a knife in a public place.

Mr Justice Bowes said the pair would only be released at the end of their sentences if a parole board concludes they pose no danger to the public.

The court heard how they planned to rob Mr Kent after he refused to delay payment for cocaine.

They met him behind shops in Nobes Avenue in the early hours of November 24.

The judge said Tommy West was armed with a knife, while Aiden West watched nearby and was ready to provide support.

Mr Kent was stabbed in his car by Tommy West and crashed into a wall a short distance away, Judge Bowes said.

The court heard how the victim started to run away but was chased by the pair.

This chase was captured on nearby cameras and the judge said Aiden West could be heard looking for the drugs and saying, “Shoot him, bruv. Shoot him or something?”

Tommy West reportedly responded, “He’s already been bruv.”

Mr Kent was pronounced dead in hospital and a post-mortem examination showed he had suffered six stab wounds, including one fatal wound to the heart, Judge Bowes said.

He added that although Aiden West did not stab Mr Kent, he was aware his brother had a knife and intended to use it, making them both equally guilty of murder.

In a statement read out in court, Kent’s sister Victoria Kent said: “Levi was so much more than just a brother to me.”

She said her brother helped her raise her children and that he “always managed to put a smile on my face or make me laugh until my stomach hurt.”

“There are no words powerful enough to ever explain the pain caused by the brutal murder of our Levi,” she added.

Six other people had been charged in connection with the murder.

Peter West 43, of Wimpson Lane in Southampton, and Michael Figgins, 64, of St Ann’s Crescent in Gosport, collected the offenders in a car after the attack.

They were both found guilty of enabling Peter’s son Tommy to throw away clothes, but were found not guilty of assisting Aiden West.

Sarah Flynn, 36, of James Close in Gosport, admitted putting Tommy West’s blood-stained clothes in a communal bin.

The brothers’ mother, Joanne West, 45, arranged for a taxi to take them from the crime scene to the Harbor Tower home of Liam Savage, 38, and both admitted helping perpetrators.

Mark Phillips, 56, of Gilbert Close in Gosport, lied to police about Ms West’s taxi booking and later admitted perverting the course of justice.

All will be sentenced at a later date.