Relief as killer who escaped from jail twice told he won't be freed

A killer who twice escaped from prison has failed in yet another bid for freedom.

- By SOPHIE DOUGHTY

Lee Nevins was jailed for life for the sadistic murder of disabled Lee Jobling who was left horrific injuries after he was attacked at his Gateshead home in 2006.

Nevins has gone on the run twice, once in 2008 when he gave prison guards the slip after being taken to hospital with a hand injury and again in 2022 when he absconded from an open prison.

Now, after serving the 17-year minimum term of his sentence the 42-year-old has been denied release by the Parole Board, and his request for that decision to be reconsidered has also been rejected, meaning that he will stay behind bars.

Lee’s aunt Angela Knotts, who raised him following the death of his mother, told of her relief that Nevins will not be allowed back on the streets.

The 66-year-old said: “He is dangerous, people don’t do the things they did to Lee unless they are. It’s a relief that he’s not getting out to harm anyone else.”

Lee's life was blighted by tragedy and struggles before it was cruelly cut short when he was just 20 years old.

His mum Shirley died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage when he was six years old, meaning Lee and his brothers were raised by Angela at her home on Gateshead’s Leam Lane estate.

Then at the age of 15 Lee was seriously injured when he fell from a bridge while out playing with friends. He suffered a brain injury and spent almost two weeks in a coma.

The accident left Lee walking with a limp and suffering from memory problems. But with the support of family, popular Lee battled on and in the months before his death he moved into his own flat, not far from Angela's home.

On Saturday, April 8, 2006, Lee invited friends to his flat, on Cotemede, for drinks.