James Preston found guilty of 'brutal' murder of 25-year-old Joseph Holland

A man has been found guilty of the murder of Joseph Holland, who was stabbed to death in Huyton this summer. At around 3.30pm on Thursday June 8, Joseph, aged 25, was found dead inside a house on Huyton House Road, with stab wounds to his chest. A knife and note, which read "it was him or me" were found next to his body.

James Preston, aged 21, from Huyton, was arrested and charged with murder. He admitted to killing Holland, however, pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming he acted in lawful self-defence

Today, (Thursday, December 14), Preston was found guilty of Joseph’s murder by a jury and will be sentenced on Wednesday, December 20.

Discussing the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said: “Today a jury has found James Preston guilty of the murder of Joseph Holland after he was fatally stabbed in Huyton. “Thankfully, the jury saw through Preston’s lies after he claimed his violent actions on that date were in self-defence, which was never the case. Preston launched a brutal attack on Joe that sadly resulted in fatal stab wounds that ended his life. Preston even tried to leave a note at the scene in a deliberate attempt to cover up his murderous actions. “Shortly after the attack, he fled the Merseyside area before eventually handing himself into police in Kent when he had nowhere left to run. “By failing to admit murder, Preston forced Joe’s family to endure an extremely upsetting and traumatic trial when they had to relive the events of that night. “Nobody can begin to understand the impact that Joe’s death has had on his family and friends, but I hope that this conviction will give them a sense of justice.”