Chatham murderer convicted after phone debt stabbing

An argument over a £10 phone debt resulted in the murder of a man in Chatham.

Mark Jesse stabbed his victim to death at their shared home in Castle Road on 1 November 2025 and has now been convicted following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

Stabbing

The court heard how the victim had been arguing with a visitor at the address, Ashley Robinson, over a phone which the victim had allegedly not paid him £10 for. The two separated, but Jesse who had been angered by the argument between Robinson and the victim, picked up a knife and made his way to the victim’s room with another man.

After a couple of minutes, the pair left the victim’s room and were heard to have said ‘We’ve done him.’ Jesse was also reported to have said ‘I’ve stabbed him in the ribs’.

The victim, a man in his 40s, was found with a single fatal stab wound to the chest.

Arrests

Jesse, 51, and Robinson, 41, then fled the house together and drove away before abandoning their car in Kingfisher Drive.

Over the next two days, Jesse and Robinson were both arrested.

At Maidstone Crown Court on Monday 15 June, Jesse was found guilty of murder and Robinson, of Meadow Bank Road, Chatham, was convicted of assisting an offender.

They are due to be sentenced at a later date.

Lack of remorse

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Davies said:

‘A man’s life was tragically and prematurely cut short over a simple argument, and it is solely due to Jesse’s unjustifiable and rash decision to take a knife into the victim’s room that day. ‘That he ran from the scene and consistently denied his actions show his lack of remorse and morality. ‘There is no more serious a crime than murder and I’m satisfied that his prison sentence will likely reflect his having taken someone’s life deliberately and without reason. ‘With him behind bars, he can do no more harm to the community for a long time.’