THE jury in the Barrow murder trial has reached a verdict. 

Mark James Bartholomew and Lee Black were both arrested shortly after the body of dad-of-three Andy Hackett was found in a back alley behind Gloucester Street in Barrow on December 10 of last year.

Bartholomew, 40, was charged with murder, while Black, 39, was charged with assisting an offender. 

Both have just unanimously been found guilty by the jury. 

Bartholomew has been found guilty of stabbing Mr Hackett in the upstairs bedroom at the home he shared with Black in Gloucester Street. He then dragged Mr Hackett's body outside into the back street before fleeing the scene and disposing of the murder weapon. 

Black cleaned up the murder scene by wiping blood from the floor, walls and skirting boards after Mr Hackett's body was taken outside. 

Superintendent Sarah Jackson from Cumbria Police said: "Mark Bartholomew has tried to represent himself as a benevolent individual, who helped Black and Hackett get by in everyday life. He was in fact nothing more than a criminal drug dealer, who ensured those around him were hooked on the very drugs he sold, and he shamelessly wielded that power to control and intimidate.

"This is a tragic case where Andrew Hackett lost his life in a senseless attack, following a minor disagreement about drugs. He was killed after Bartholomew used considerable force to inflicted a single stab wound to his chest. Andrew was alone in Bartholomew's bedroom when he was attacked, and would have had no way to protect himself.

"Instead of seeking help for the fatally wounded victim, Bartholomew spent time calmly smoking drugs and planning his escape. He began to cover his tracks by instructing Black to clean up the address.

"Bartholomew dragged Andrew out of the address and into the rear alley, where he was cruelly left to lie in the dark on that cold December morning. Bartholomew then fled the address and in an attempt to frustrate the investigation, disposed of the murder weapon in the dock at Salt House Mills. Black remained at the scene, called for medical assistance and stayed to deal with the emergency services. Unfortunately that help couldn’t save Andrew, and he sadly died.

"Both Bartholomew and Black have continually refused to provide a truthful version of what actually happened that night, and in doing so have delayed justice for Andrew, and his family, until now. Andrew's family have acted with the utmost dignity since the attack and I hope this conviction goes some way to help them through their awful loss.

"I would like to recognise the team of officers in Cumbria Constabulary who worked hard to pull the case together, and also to the wider team who recovered the weapon and other supporting evidence that later forensically linked Bartholomew to the murder.  Mr Nigel Power QC and the Crown Prosecution Service have since worked with the police team to present the very best case to the jury, so they could confidently convict Bartholomew and Black, and for that I am very grateful."

Both men denied the offences but were found guilty following a two-week trial. 

The jury of six men and six women took around three hours to reach their verdict.