Murdering Gosport brothers jailed for life for killing of Levi Kent

Killer Gosport brothers Tommy West and Aiden West were both convicted of murdering Levi Kent, 22, after he was repeatedly knifed by Tommy West when lured to shops behind Nobes Avenue shortly after 2am on November 24.

The victim was stabbed in his Vauxhall Corsa before attempting to escape and crashing his car into a wall. Levi, who had refused to defer payment on a deal, was then chased into Keyes Road before he was set upon again. He died following a fatal blow to his heart amid six blunt force injuries. 

Aiden West, 25, of Tudor Close, Gosport, was found guilty of the murder of Levi in August following a trial. He was found not guilty of possessing a blade. His half-brother Tommy West, 18, of Fisgard Road, previously admitted to Levi’s murder along with robbery and possession of a blade. 

Today at Portsmouth Crown Court the drug addict West brothers were served justice for their crimes. Judge Michael Bowes KC called the attack “savage” and said both brothers were “equally responsible” for the murder which involved a “significant degree of planning”.

Referring to Aiden West telling his brother Tommy West to “shank him up” during the stabbing, judge Bowes said: “The chilling words are the clearest demonstration that you were both acting together throughout. 

“You were both involved in the planning and execution and both equally responsible for Levi Kent’s murder. You both left him for dead.”

The judge told the court how Tommy West had bragged over the stabbing after telling friends afterwards he had “stuck the knife all the way in” and had sent Levi Kent a message saying, “that’s for bumping me”. The judge added: “In other words you were stabbing him as revenge.”

Speaking of the planned attack, judge Bowes said: “When the first attempt failed, you lured Levi Kent back by assuring him there was no plan to rob him and you had money to pay for drugs.”

The judge added: “I accept there was no intention to kill but you were indifferent to whether the savage attack would have that effect. You both deliberately involved yourself in a violent robbery.”

Tommy West, dressed in a black suit, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years while Aiden West, wearing a white shirt, was jailed for a minimum term of 28 years - both minus time served on remand. Both were motionless as the sentences were handed down.

During the sentence hearing, Levi’s sister Victoria Kent paid tribute to her brother who had a “heart of gold” and was the “life and soul of the party”. She told the court how his “gut wrenching” death had left the whole family feeling “empty and numb” and said the family had received hundreds of messages from people saying how Levi had helped them. Ms Kent told the West brothers there “will never be true justice” and “you’ve ended the life of my whole family”.

Levi’s sister said despite his “traumatic” life Levi was turning his life around and had just finished a bricklaying course and was “excited” to start work on a building site. “You took everything from him that night,” she said before adding: “You robbed a dead man and ran off.”

Speaking of Levi, she added: “He will never know how loved he truly is.”

The court heard how Tommy West had two previous offences to his name which were possession of an offensive weapon and common assault. Aiden West had 14 offences on his record, the most serious of which was attempted grievous bodily harm in May 2022.

The court was told how both of the West brothers had a troubled upbringing and suffered with PTSD and were addicted to drugs at the time of the murder. Both were said to have expressed remorse over the murder. 

Meanwhile, Tommy West’s dad Peter West, 43, of Fisgard Road, and his step-dad Michael Figgins, 64, of St Ann's Crescent, were both found guilty of one charge of assisting an offender and not guilty of another count of assisting an offender during the trial. They are due to be sentenced. 

Other people in the case that are due to be sentenced include the brothers’ mother Joanne West, 45, of no fixed address, who has admitted two counts of assisting an offender. Liam Savage, 37, of Trinity Green in Gosport, has also admitted two counts of assisting an offender.

Sarah Flynn, 36, of James Close in Gosport, admitted assisting an offender. Liam Savage, 38, of Trinity Green in Gosport, admitted two counts of assisting an offender. Mark Phillips, 56, of Gilbert Close in Gosport, admitted perverting the course of justice. They will be sentenced on Wednesday.

During the trial, the court heard how West brothers travelled to an address in James Close in a taxi paid for by Michael Figgins. Tommy then contacted Levi to arrange the drug deal as the brothers concocted their plan to rob Levi of cocaine worth between £180 to £300.

The plotting brothers left the address armed with knives and their faces covered but the deal was thwarted after Levi was spooked by Aiden West who was spotted hiding. But a second deal was arranged before the brothers met Levi in Keyes Road where Tommy West entered Levi’s car and stabbed him.

The attack caused Levi to accelerate the car which smashed into a wall on the opposite side of the road. Levi exited the vehicle and ran for his life while chased by the West brothers before he was set upon again as he collapsed. Aiden West kicked him in the head and searched his pockets and was heard on Ring doorbell footage saying: “Shank him up bruv.” Tommy West replied: “I already have.”

The knife used in the attack was then thrown onto the roof of the nearby medical centre before the pair returned to James Close where they changed their clothes. During this time, Sarah Flynn put some of Tommy West’s clothing in the bin.

The court heard that afterwards the brothers’ mother, Joanne West, paid for them to take a taxi to Liam Savage’s address in Trinity Green, and that the pair were laughing and joking during the journey.

Later that morning, the attackers were picked up by Tommy’s dad Peter West and Figgins before being driven to various locations - enabling Tommy to discard some clothing at a friend’s address in the process.

Peter West then drove Tommy West to a police station at 5pm that evening so he could hand himself in. Aiden West was arrested the next day. Flynn was arrested on the evening of 24 November for concealing Tommy West’s clothes. 

Joanne West was arrested on 26 November for arranging for her sons to evade capture. Mark Phillips was present during her arrest and proceeded to provide a false statement to police regarding the taxi booking she made for her sons.

Savage, Figgins and Peter West were all arrested for the parts they played in allowing the West brothers to evade capture and dispose of evidence.