Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Fionnula Hainey & Hannah Mackenzie Wood

Dramatic moment murderer is arrested after stabbing ex-partner and autistic son

This the moment a sick murderer who knifed his ex-partner and her nine-year-old autistic son to death was arrested 24 hours after the killings.

Daniel Boulton walked 28 miles to fatally stab Bethany Vincent, 26, and her nine-year-old son Darren Henson at their home in Louth, Lincolnshire.

The 30-year-old sparked a 24-hour manhunt and was eventually found and arrested on a farm, Manchester Evening News reports.

On Wednesday, February 2, he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 40 years after he was found guilty of murder.

A court was told how the defendant had developed a "hatred" for Darren, known to loved ones as DJ, and had "feared" the young boy's autism would somehow affect his own son.

Daniel Boulton being arrested at Hallington House Farm after a 24-hour police hunt (PA)

Boulton “loitered for hours” outside his victims’ home before launching his attack in front of his nine-month-old baby on May 31, last year.

When emergency services arrived at the property, the nine-month-old was found crawling around the house, and the court heard the killer left a note saying: “I, Daniel Boulton, take full responsibility for 182", which was the number of the property.

Boulton then led Lincolnshire Police on a 24-hour manhunt, which came to an end when he stabbed an off-duty police officer in the leg before being tasered and arrested on a nearby farm.

The arrest was captured on camera by a helicopter tracking him from above.

Boulton, of Alexandra Road, Skegness, admitted manslaughter on the second day of his trial, as well as assault with intent to resist arrest, and burglary, before being convicted of two counts of murder.

At his sentencing hearing today, the judge told Boulton there was a possibility he may never be released.

Mr Justice Pepperall told the killer: “I’m sure that you targeted DJ because of your hatred and you were motivated by his autism.

“I’m sure that you are a violent and very dangerous man, and you present an ongoing risk of further violence, and possibly even homicide.

Victims Bethany Vincent and son Darren Henson, pictured in 2014 (Facebook/Mirror)

“You killed with ruthless efficiency very soon after breaking into the house.

“You acted calmly, callously and efficiently … you intended to kill, you knew precisely what you were doing.”

The court heard how Boulton had told a "number of different people" he wanted the young boy "dead and out of the way".

The judge told him he had an "irrational fear" that DJ's autism "would somehow affect your own son".

“There is ample evidence that you are manipulative and controlling," he told him.

"Your violence to Bethany Vincent was, I am satisfied, borne out of a desire to control her life and her thinking, and a deep sense of frustration when you did not get your own way."

The jury had heard how the relationship between Boulton and Ms Vincent, which had begun on the Tinder dating app, had “deteriorated” by the end of March 2019 and he was eventually ordered not to contact his ex-partner.

Daniel Boulton murdered his ex-partner Bethany Vincent and her son Darren Henson at their home in High Holme Road in Louth (Lincolnshire Police)

The prosecution said “persistent” Boulton had sent Ms Vincent nearly 900 messages over the bank holiday weekend, including one which said: “You destroyed my life and have the cheek to say I ruined yours.”

The court also heard that the killer had previously told a Salvation Army support worker that he wanted to “wipe out the bloodline” of Ms Vincent’s family.

Boulton tried to claim he was on “autopilot” at the time of the murders, but jurors and the judge dismissed his defence of loss of control.

Prosecutor Katherine Goddard QC read out four victim impact statements to the court, including one from Darren’s father, Keiran Henson, who said: “Above all, the worst part is not being able to hear his voice any more.

“I will never be able to hear him shout ‘Daddy’.

“No sentence in the world will be enough for what he has done to my son and Beth.”

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.