Rushden attempted murder suspect dies in prison

He was due to face a trial over an incident which led to the death of young mum Levi Davis
By News reporter
Published 22nd Jun 2021, 10:28 GMT
Jake Swords. Credit: FacebookJake Swords. Credit: Facebook
Jake Swords. Credit: Facebook

A man who was charged over an incident which led to the tragic death of Rushden mum Levi Davis has died in prison.

Jake Swords, 28, had been on remand in custody for more than 18 months, accused of an attack on Lucas Barnard near St George's Way, off Wellingborough Road, on December 7, 2019.

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He had been charged with attempting to murder Mr Barnard, which he had denied.

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Floral tributes left at the scene.Floral tributes left at the scene.
Floral tributes left at the scene.

It had been alleged that the pair had been involved in an altercation which saw Swords try and run over Mr Barnard before assaulting him.

During the incident Swords' girlfriend, 25-year-old mum-of-two Levi, was fatally stabbed in the chest.

A man arrested on suspicion of her murder was released with no further action after high-quality CCTV footage captured the incident from start to finish.

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Swords, formerly of Tennyson Road in Rushden, had originally been due to face a trial in June last year but the trial was delayed. The trial was later set for September this year.

Police at the scene.Police at the scene.
Police at the scene.

Earlier this month Swords died at HMP Peterborough, which is privately-run by Sodexo.

The cause of his death has not been confirmed and an investigation will now take place.

Damian Evans, director of HMP Peterborough, said: “We can confirm that a prisoner sadly died at HMP Peterborough on June 2.

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"All deaths in custody are investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman and it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this stage.”

Yesterday (Monday) at Northampton Crown Court Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking QC formally closed the file against Swords in a brief mention hearing.

Anthony Spring, 31, of HMP Peterborough, has already pleaded guilty to possession of a knife and assisting an offender in relation to the incident in December 2019.

He was due to be sentenced after Swords' trial and will now be sentenced next month.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police confirmed they were not looking for anyone else in relation to either the death of Levi Davis or the attempted murder of Mr Barnard.