Police have described a man from High Wycombe who murdered a 44-year-old by stabbing him 38 times with a kitchen knife as an 'extremely dangerous' person. 

Tyrell James, 24, of Hawksmoor Close, was convicted of murdering Karl Stanislaus, 44, by a unanimous jury verdict on March 27, following a trial at Reading Crown Court.

The self-confessed drug dealer will serve a life sentence, with a minimum term of 31 years, for murder, grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a kitchen knife.

James “viciously” attacked Mr Stanislaus underneath a disused railway bridge in Bowden Lane on September 5, 2023, where witnesses reportedly heard him screaming and begging for his life.

When a member of the public found the 44-year-old victim, he had 38 separate stab wounds and a total of 56 knife wounds on his head, neck, torso, upper limbs and right leg.

They tried to save his life by administering CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Following the guilty verdict for Mr Stanislaus’s murder, James also pleaded guilty to stabbing another man in Walton Drive on December 27, 2022.

The man, who was in his thirties, sustained several knife injuries but they were not life-threatening.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Brangwin of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit described James as an "extremely violent individual".

He said: “Our investigation into Mr Stanislaus’s murder linked James to the scene of this vicious attack, but throughout all his police interviews, he answered no comment to all questions put to him. He showed no remorse for what he had done.

“He denied any involvement in the murder in a pre-prepared statement, but after a meticulous investigation, James accepted that he had little choice but to admit killing Mr Stanislaus, but inexplicably claimed he was acting in self-defence.

“This defence was implausible. The frenzied and ferocious nature of the attack is one of the worst I have ever seen and there can be no doubt that James intended to kill Mr Stanislaus that night.

“Several months earlier, James stabbed another man in a completely separate incident, and he was under investigation for this when this murder took place.

“James is an extremely dangerous individual and he will rightly serve an extremely long time in prison."

DCI Brangwin said he was mindful of the "enormous impact" the investigation has had on Mr Stanislaus's family.

“They have had to endure many months of pain while we investigated his murder, and I would like to thank them for their patience and dignity, and for putting their trust in our investigation.

“I know that no sentence will ever serve as solace for them; no family should ever have to go through what they have, but I hope the fact we have brought James to justice will at least offer them some comfort and they can begin to move forward with their lives.

“James’s course of action that night was violent in the extreme, and Thames Valley Police will relentlessly pursue and seek to prosecute those who carry knives. It is not and never will be acceptable, and my message is clear.

“Knife carrying will not be tolerated in the Thames Valley.

“Harsher consequences have now been brought in, meaning you will end up in court and habitual offenders will trigger mandated minimum sentences more quickly. There are no second chances.

“If you are caught in possession of a knife in public in the Thames Valley, Operation Deter will seek to robustly charge and remand you and place you before the courts.

"We are resolute in our determination to make our communities safer by removing knives from our streets.”