THE family of Michael Riddiough-Allen and Devon and Cornwall Police have reacted to the sentences given to those responsible for the events that led to his death.

On April 30 2023, Mr Riddiough-Allen was killed while trying to break up a fight which occurred on Castle Canyke Road, Bodmin.

The jury at the near six-week long murder trial found Jake Hill, 25, guilty of his murder and four accounts of wounding with intent of others involved in the incident.

Mr Hill was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years, while his co-defendants were found guilty of other crimes in relation to the incident and subsequent investigation.

In sentencing Mr Hill, Her Honour Mrs Justice Cutts rejected Jake Hill’s reasons for carrying the knife, saying that ‘experience shows that those who carry them are quick to use them’, but that there is ‘no justifications for carrying a weapon in a public place’.

She told Hill, “You had no reason to be carrying such a knife’ and ‘you liked the image of being a hardman’.

She did not accept that self defence formed any part of his actions that night.

Hill, she said, showed not ‘one shred of remorse’ and that during his evidence she ‘detected absolutely no regret’.

After the verdict, the family of Mr Riddiough-Allen, who in light of his death formed a charity campaigning against knife crime and supporting local initiatives to engage the town’s youth, said: “One knife, one life, multiple sentences.

“Today, the man found guilty of stabbing and killing our Mike, and wounding four others, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years.

“The two girls who were with him that night were sentenced to three years (serving a minimum of 18 months) and 15 months (serving a minimum of nine months).

“These are not the only sentences being served. The families of those who have been sentenced will also serve this time. Their parents, their children, their loved ones. Sentenced to a life of pain and (unwarranted) guilt.

“Those who were there that night are sentenced to have those images with them for the rest of their lives. We, Mike's family, are sentenced to a life without the man we love. Knowing we will never be able to speak with him, hold him, laugh with him.

“One knife, many lives.”

Detective Inspector Ilona Rosson, from Devon & Cornwall Police’s the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Michael Riddiough-Allen tried to protect those around him and disarm a man who felt the need to carry a knife.

“In doing so, he tragically he lost his life.

“This case highlights the devastation and irreversible damage that carrying and using a knife can cause. No good can come from it.

“This was an incredibly complex and challenging investigation. I would like to thank the investigation team for their tireless dedication to bringing the offenders to justice.

“I’d also like to thank the family of Michael Riddiough-Allen and the surviving victims. They have supported our investigation through the most challenging of times and I commend them for the strength and courage they have shown.

“I hope that the sentences imposed by the judge and the conclusion of this case brings them some closure.”