Man found guilty of manslaughter following stabbing in Ellesmere Port

At approximately 7.15pm that evening, Lloyd and a female friend of his attended Ruddock’s home address to collect an e-bike which they believed had been stolen from an associate. There was a minor altercation between Lloyd and Ruddock. The e-bike was recovered, and Lloyd and his friend left the address.

Ruddock proceeded to send multiple threatening voice notes to the woman’s phone, directed towards Lloyd. Ruddock armed himself with a knife from a barbecue set and told Lloyd to meet him at a park.  

At approximately 8.10pm, Lloyd and his friend were driving along Hollybush Way, Ellesmere Port, when they sighted Ruddock, who was with two other men. Lloyd exited the vehicle and a confrontation occurred. Ruddock produced the knife from his waistband and brandished it towards Lloyd, who got back into the car and left.

Lloyd’s friend received further voice notes in which Ruddock made more threats to harm Lloyd. Minutes later, Lloyd and his female friend were driving along Summertrees Road when they again saw Ruddock and the two men. Lloyd exited the vehicle and an altercation ensued. During the incident, Ruddock produced the knife and stabbed Lloyd. He then ran from the scene.

Paramedics and officers attended and Lloyd was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. 

Chester Crown Court heard Ruddock then attended his address and left the knife in the garden, before changing his blood-stained clothes at a nearby address. He then arranged to be driven to Hapsford Services before booking a taxi and travelling to an address in Merseyside.

Officers attended Ruddock’s address in Ellesmere Port that evening and seized the weapon. Following enquiries, Ruddock was subsequently arrested during the early hours of Thursday 2 May at the address in Merseyside.

On Friday 3 May, a post-mortem revealed Lloyd died from a stab wound to the chest. Ruddock was charged with murder the same day. The two men who were with Ruddock on the evening of the incident were arrested at the time but later released with no further action against them.

Ruddock was instead found guilty of manslaughter and will be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday 24 March.

Following the guilty verdict for manslaughter, Detective Inspector Andrea Price said:

“While no conviction is going to bring Lloyd back to his family and friends, I hope the conclusion of this trial will help to bring them some closure, knowing that the person responsible for his death has been held accountable for his actions.

“What happened on the evening of 1 May 2024 was entirely avoidable. Ruddock chose to arm himself with a knife and made continued threats towards Lloyd.

“The incident itself was over in a matter of seconds – and this should serve as a warning of the dangers of knife crime.

“Instead of owning up to what he had done, he chose to flee Cheshire. Thankfully he was later arrested in Merseyside and now, as a result of our investigation and the evidence against him, he has been found guilty of the manslaughter of Lloyd.

“Our thoughts remain with Lloyd’s family and friends at this time.”

A statement from Lloyd’s mother reads:

“There are no words to describe the amount of hurt and heartache Lloyd’s death has left, not only for his immediate family, relatives and close friends, but for his baby son, born just nine weeks after Lloyd was tragically killed on that fateful day on 1 May 2024.

“Everyone who mourns Lloyd knew him and loved him. Yet, his son will never have the opportunity to meet and get to know his dad, something no child should have to endure. And from Lloyd’s baby's point of view, justice will never be served.

“Lloyd is not able to speak for himself, and sadly two lives have been ruined as the result of Ben Ruddock’s horrific actions.”

A statement from Lloyd's father reads:

"The family would like to thank everyone involved regarding the investigation into the death of Lloyd Velasquez. From the police and legal team for their swift capture of the offender and work on the case, to the bystanders and ambulance service who assisted at the scene.

"We are so grateful for all their hard work and support throughout this awful ordeal.

"Our Lloyd was a much-loved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, uncle, and dad to the lovely son who he sadly never got the chance to meet. The loss of Lloyd has left a massive hole in all of our lives. We can now only cherish our memories of him."