Martin Stanislaus and Jodie Willis found guilty of murdering High Wycombe man Lee Gillespie - Leigh Burns guilty of manslaughter

Lee Gillespie was shown no mercy and stabbed 14 times after pleading for his life when he fell at the feet of his killer, in a churchyard last summer.

This week his attackers were made to pay - jailed for a combined sentence of more than 50 years.

His former partner, Beaconsfield woman Jodie Willis, sat with her head in her hands, reddened eyes and wiping tears away as she was handed a life sentence and told to serve a minimum of 20 years.

READ MORE ABOUT THE GUILTY VERDICTS, HERE.

The man who knifed the 26-year-old in the attack, Martin Stanislaus - who is another former partner of Willis’s - was handed a life sentence too, with a minimum of 26 years behind bars.

On the night of his death, innocent victim Lee Gillespie ran for his life. Seconds later he tripped and fell in front of shocked onlookers.

Lee Gillespie was stabbed to death on August 22, last year.

Despite being in the middle of a busy town centre on a Saturday night the attack was unrelenting – Martin Stanislaus stabbed him repeatedly in the face, neck and chest and turned away before returning with two fatal blows.

The brutal murderer was convinced to attack the 26-year-old victim after Willis - the mother of Stanislaus’s child – pretended she had been beaten by Mr Gillespie, cutting her face with a razor blade to “wind him up”.

The pair now face decades in prison after being handed life sentences – Willis will serve a minimum of 20 years while Stanislaus will be behind bars for 26 years.

A third man, Leigh Burns, was cleared of murder but given a 10-year sentence for manslaughter after leading Mr Gillespie’s killers to the murder scene.

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Guilty:

Martin Stanislaus, 38, from Ealing:

• Guilty of murder, guilty of perverting the course of justice and guilty of possessing a knife in public.
• Jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 26 years.
• Former partner of Jodie Willis. They have a child together.
• Attacked Mr Gillespie after allegedly being ordered to by Willis.
• Stabbed the victim 15 times, prosecutors claimed.

Jodie Willis, 36, from Beaconsfield:

• Guilty of murder and guilty of perverting the course of justice.
• Jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 20 years.
• Was the ex-girlfriend of victim, Lee Gillespie.
• Ordered another former partner, Stanisalus, to kill the 26-year-old victim.

Leigh Burns, 38, from Ealing:

• Guilty of manslaughter.
• Jailed for ten years.
• Not guilty of murder and not guilty of perverting the course of justice.
• Prosecutors claimed he led Stanislaus and Willis to murder scene.

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Condemning Willis, Judge John Reddihough said: “You were angered and upset because the deceased had started a new relationship and that day had the confrontation you had with him and his new partner in which you uttered threats.

Lee Gillespie was 26 when he was killed.

“No doubt heightened by alcohol, you felt hurt and angered. “You made cuts to your face with a razor blade, something you inflicted on yourself deliberately to wind up Mr Stanislaus as you let him believe Mr Gillespie had hurt you.”

Lisa Wilding QC, defending Willis, said: “The prosecution themselves admitted that she might have experienced immediate remorse albeit too late.

“Her intention was not to kill but to cause grievous bodily harm. It was also heard in evidence that she shouted “stop, stop” but it was of no use.”

On August 22, the day of the murder, Stanislaus travelled to the town with Willis and Burns before chasing and killing the victim outside All Saints Church.

Stanislaus and Willis – both found guilty of perverting the course of justice – fled the scene and attempted to hide the evidence.

Prosecutors claim the attack was ordered by Willis following an argument she and Burns had with Gillespie and his girlfriend, Lea Sinclair.

The trio were sentenced separately at Reading Crown Court yesterday after a jury found them guilty.

Addressing Stanislaus – who watched on from the dock, emotionless – Judge Reddihough said: “You set out from home with the murder weapon hidden under your trousers behind your back.

“Fuelled by the information being fed to you by Miss Willis you were incensed and angered and you went to the home of Mr Gillespie and ransacked it.

“You were then led to the victim who was sat on a bench innocently. You pursued him and unfortunately he fell over. As he lay there defenceless, you brutally and frenziedly stabbed him some 14 times on his face body head and upper body.

“I believe that at that time you fully intended to kill him.

“You provided a total and utterly untrue story as a defence that you were acting in self-defence but the jury rightly completely rejected that suggestion.”

All three defendants were taken to remand prisons to be assessed before starting their sentences.

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During sentencing, Mr Gillespie's father read out a victim impact statement.

Family members were seen to be visibly upset throughout proceedings as James Gillespie told the court how the brutal stabbing left him heartbroken.

He said: “My world is torn into pieces. It was over seven months ago but it does not get easier any day.

"I would give anything to say goodbye, say I love you and ruffle his hair. He was a cheeky boy, yes, but did he deserve to die? No. I would swap places with him in a heartbeat.

“He leaves behind two young sons. How am I supposed to tell them what has happened to their daddy?

“I regret not seeing him that day and see his smile because I usually did every day. It gives me comfort to hear that he was not alone in his last moments.

"It makes me proud to hear how his friends cared for him at that time. There has been so much heartache from one mad decision to kill Lee.

"His mother, brother, sister, grandmother and half siblings, and the defendant’s family. Their lives have been torn apart too.”