Killer who shot a man on his doorstep with a crossbow in a row over a drugs debt is jailed for life for his murder

Russell Gill fired the crossbow bolt into Darrell Farnham's heart



Court told he had set out to kill him in 'Medieval-style execution'

Gill said he wanted to threaten Mr Farnham over £6,000 debt he owed him



Mr Farnham's family said Gill is 'a cold, dangerous and evil man'

A killer who used a crossbow to murder a man on his own doorstep over a £6,000 drugs debt was today sentenced to 24 years in prison.



Russell Gill shot a metal crossbow into the heart of Darrell Farnham 'with unerring accuracy' in what jurors were told was a ' Medieval-style execution'.

The jury had previously heard that Mr Farnham, 44, managed to slam shut the front door before yanking the arrow out.

Russell Gill (left) shot Darrell Farnham (right) in the heart with a crossbow in a 'Medieval-style execution'



The bolt had penetrated eight inches into his chest and Mr Farnham then bled to death.



Gill was jailed today after a jury reached a majority verdict on the murder charge at Reading Crown Court.





Judge John Reddihough told him: 'There is no justification whatsoever for the drastic steps you took to end his life.

'You took a lethal weapon and pointed it at the deceased’s chest and killed him.

'The sentence has to be one of life imprisonment and I have found you must serve a minimum period of 24 years before you can be considered for release on parole.'

The crossbow bolt penetrated eight inches into Mr Farnham's chest

The judge compared a crossbow with a firearm telling the defendant: 'In my judgement it is akin to a firearm if used at short range as was the case here.

'A bolt fired at somebody’s chest with a cross bow is really not dissimilar to the effect of firing a gun at somebody’s chest.'

Gill had denied murder, saying he fired the crossbow by mistake after he took it to threaten Mr Farnham over a £6,000 pounds debt he owed to him.

The jury had previously heard how police officers and paramedics were powerless to save Mr Farnham’s life after the crossbow bolt penetrated his heart.

Gill was a former tenant at Mr Farnham’s house in Aylesbury.

After his arrest, he told police Mr Farnham was a bully and 'out to get him' over a £6,000 pounds drug debt he owed to him because of his addiction to amphetamine.

Gill had told someone earlier that night that he 'would get to him first' and had brandished the crossbow and a Samurai sword in the garage of his nearby home.



He told the 15-year-old witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, that 'this will kill him' as he brandished the high velocity weapon.

Gill cycled the short distance to Mr Farnham’s house armed with the crossbow and sword with the intention of killing Mr Farnham at 10.30pm on June 23.

Gill claimed he fired the weapon by mistake after Mr Farnham’s crossbreed dog, Princess, bit him on the leg while the pair argued on his doorstep.

He had admitted manslaughter but jurors disbelieved his version of events and convicted him of the more serious charge.

Gill cycled to Mr Farnham's house with the crossbow and a Samurai sword before murdering him on his doorstep

Forensic officer's at the scene of Mr Farnham's murder in June

Detective Superintendent Chris Ward, investigating officer for Thames Valley Police, said Gill had pre-planned the murder with 'the most lethal of weapons imaginable'.

'The victim, Darrell Farnham, had no way of defending himself against this attack and the jury have made their conviction on overwhelming evidence,' he said.

'I hope that this conviction can help Darrell’s family and friends come to terms with what has happened and offer some closure to them.'

In a statement, Mr Farnham's family said: 'We are satisfied with the verdict of murder, and that justice has been carried out.

'Gill is a cold, dangerous and evil man, who killed Darrell in his own home with calculation and precision, providing no opportunity for self-defence.

'Gill has shown no remorse or sadness for this terrible act but attempted throughout the trial to justify his actions and destroy the reputation of Darrell and thus causing further distress to Darrell’s family members.

'Gill left Darrell to die and then proceeded to carry out his day to day life without a second thought for his actions.

'We are devastated in the way Darrell was taken from us at a young age in such a tragic way, and words cannot express the pain and grief we feel.

'His partner, parents, sisters and daughter have to live with this every day and find it hard to come to terms that another human being has taken Darrell’s life.