Man murdered father and hid body in cardboard box

A man has been jailed for life after he murdered his father and hid his body in a cardboard box.

Thomas Sykes, of New Street in Burton-upon-Trent, killed his dad Anthony at the flat the pair shared in Tamworth during August 2022.

Police found the box containing Mr Sykes's body in a shed behind the block of flats on 19 August, along with a freshly-dug grave with gardening utensils nearby.

Sykes, 41, was found guilty of murder after a two-week trial and sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 18 years, at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday.

Officers were called to the ground-floor flat on Byron Road after 67-year-old Mr Sykes had not been seen for a number of days, Staffordshire Police said.

They became concerned about Sykes's demeanour, a force spokesperson added, before they discovered his father's body.

Forensic examinations found blood stains on the carpet in the front bedroom and on a cabinet, while two sections of blood-stained carpet which had been cut away were found in a black bin bag in a wheelie bin outside.

The post-mortem examination found Mr Sykes had head and face injuries and that he had died a few days before officers found his body.

Police said Sykes was interviewed a number of times and denied responsibility, claiming he had found his dad's body on the floor in the bedroom and panicked.

He claimed did not know what to do so put the body in the cardboard box and was preparing to bury it, a police spokesperson added.

Following Sykes's sentencing, Det Supt Cheryl Hannan said: "This is a tragic case of the death of a man at the hands of his own son.

"I am pleased with the sentence and that justice has been served."

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