A 41-year-old man has been sentenced to life for the murder of a man at his Norwich flat

A man from Norwich has been sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison for the murder of Leslie Smith at his flat in Norwich – after he left his body slumped on the sofa for days.

Theodore Lynch, 41, c/o HMP Norwich, appeared for a second day at Norwich Crown Court today (2 May 2024) for sentencing after being found guilty of murder by a jury yesterday. He has been sentenced to serve life with a minimum of 22 years for murder after a trial lasting just over two weeks. 

The judge told Lynch, "You and the truth do not have passing acquaintance," referring to his explanations throughout the trial. Lynch had denied murder and pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The court heard that Lynch was arrested after police linked him to the scene where 63-year-old Leslie Smith’s body had been left at his flat in Suffolk Square for days. Neighbours had alerted police and they discovered his partially decomposed body on his sofa on Sunday 17 October 2021.

Initially, the death was not thought to be suspicious but when a coroner’s post -mortem examination was undertaken on 22 October 2021, concerns were raised the death may not have been accidental. A further Home Office post-mortem examination identified an injury or other factors had caused a collection of blood in the chest, consistent with a penetrating wound having entered the front of the neck.

Detectives from the Joint Major Investigation Team then launched a murder investigation into the death and identified that the most likely date of death was 5 October 2021, 12 days before the body was discovered. 

The court heard that police linked Theodore Lynch to the death through CCTV footage which showed him making a hasty exit from Leslie’s flat on the evening of 5 October. Officers carried out a series of witness statements and digital enquiries. He was first arrested on 26 October 2021, before being later charged with the murder.

Norwich Crown Court heard how Lynch had visited Leslie’s flat to give him money to buy drugs and when he did not return with anything, the two had argued. After fleeing the block of flats, Lynch ran to an ex-partner’s house with blood on his hands and clothing, telling her, ‘I’ve pushed something into someone’s neck’.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Burgess: “This was a complex investigation frustrated by the delay in discovering Leslie Smith’s body at his flat in Suffolk Square around 12 days after we believe he was murdered. 

“Whilst it was initially treated as unexplained, the thorough expert processes we have in place ensured we were able to reconsider what had occurred and we launched a murder investigation. 

“Theodore Lynch murdered Leslie Smith at his home address, stabbing him in the neck with a knife before running away and leaving him on his sofa to die. Leslie remained there for 12 days before he was discovered. Lynch murdered Mr Smith for a drug debt and has shown no remorse since, he is a very dangerous man and the jury’s decision to convict him of murder will ensure he is kept behind bars for a considerable amount of time, making the streets of Norwich a safer place.

“My thoughts remain with Leslie’s family and friends and whilst today’s sentencing cannot bring Leslie back, I hope it offers a degree of comfort that the man responsible is behind bars where he can’t hurt anyone else.”