After more than eight hours' deliberation, the jury in the Kenneth Noye murder trial at the Old Bailey in London yesterday found him guilty of murdering Mr Stephen Cameron, in a road-rage attack on the M25 motorway in Kent in 1996, Rachel Donnelly reports. Noye was sentenced to life and it is understood that he is considering an appeal.
The trial judge, Lord Justice Latham, told Noye: "The jury have found you guilty of murder. There is only one sentence - life."
The jury of eight women and four men reached an 11-1 majority verdict rejecting Noye's claim that he acted in self-defence when he stabbed Mr Cameron (21) during a confrontation at a motorway interchange. Both men had argued on the motorway but when Mr Cameron fought back, Noye went to his car and returned to the scene with a knife and stabbed the young man.
As the jury delivered its verdict after a 12-day trial, Noye (52) gulped but showed no emotion and he nodded briefly to the court before he was led away to the cells below. Mr Cameron's family, including his parents, Ken and Toni Cameron, leapt to their feet and shouted "yes" when the guilty verdict was read out. Noye's "web of lies" during the trial was condemned by police, who said he should remain in prison for the rest of his life.
After the verdict, Stephen Cameron's father, Mr Ken Cameron, insisted his son's murderer should hang for his crime: "I would like them to put that black thing [a hangman's hood] on his head, but they won't do that. He is a violent man and he had to go away. He has to serve life and hopefully it is going to be life.
"We are still experiencing overwhelming grief, as parents who have lost a child will understand. For our beloved son Stephen to lose his life, a life with so much future and in such a wicked, senseless way, is very difficult for us to bear."
Before the trial Noye had already established a reputation as a notorious and immensely wealthy criminal. He had been convicted in 1986 of handling gold bars from the biggest robbery in Britain, the Brink's-Mat £26 million gold bullion robbery, and he was also linked with drug dealing. But in 1985, Noye escaped prison when he convinced a jury, also at the Old Bailey, that he acted in self-defence when he stabbed undercover police detective Mr John Fordham, who was taking part in a surveillance operation outside Noye's Kent mansion.
The verdict ends Noye's undercover flight across Europe in an attempt to escape the British police. After stabbing Stephen Cameron, Noye travelled to several destinations in Europe before settling near Cadiz in Spain where he bought a mansion and tried to keep a low profile.
However, British police eventually traced him and as one detective who took part in the investigation yesterday commented, the verdict "shows that you can run from justice but you cannot hide".