Scott Patterson death: Peter Dodds guilty of murder
- Published
A man who fatally stabbed a father celebrating the birth of his daughter has been found guilty of murder.
Peter Dodds knifed Scott Patterson in the chest after a confrontation in Blyth, Northumberland, last August.
Mr Patterson's partner, Danielle Sanderson, described him as a "loving dad" and said she was "devastated" by his death.
Dodds, 33, of The Greenway, Uxbridge, west London, was convicted following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court.
Police said Dodds, who was under the influence of cocaine, cannabis and alcohol, rowed with Mr Patterson at the Percy Arms pub before a further confrontation at a mutual friend's house on Hallside Road.
Dodds, who had travelled from London the previous day to visit his girlfriend, then tried to goad Mr Patterson into a fight.
After stabbing him with a knife he had taken from the kitchen, Dodds left the scene in a car and threw the blade out of one of the vehicle's windows.
'This isn't fair'
In a statement issued after the verdict, Ms Sanderson said the effects of knife crime were "unimaginable".
"Words can't describe how devastated we are," she said.
"Scott was a loving dad to five children who will grow up without having their dad in their lives. This just isn't fair."
Det Supt Helen Anderson, of Northumbria Police, said Mr Patterson "was not aggressive in any way" before being attacked.
"Dodds was a violent man who made his intentions perfectly clear," she added.
"When he didn't get what he wanted, he continued antagonising people and even armed himself with a knife."
Dodds, who was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, will be sentenced on Wednesday.
- 18 September 2019
- 20 August 2019
