Story by Isobel Williams
Key takeaways
- Murder Details: Dedan Simmons repeatedly stamped on Shaun McEvoy’s chest, causing fatal internal injuries.
- Legal Outcome: Simmons was convicted of murder in February 2024, sentenced to life with a minimum of 16 years, and his appeal was dismissed.
- Victim Impact: Shaun, 56, described as having a heart of gold, was killed over a £30 debt, leaving his family devastated.
Dedan Simmons. (Metropolitan Police / SWNS)
A drug dealer who beat a grandad to death over a £30 debt has lost an appeal against his murder conviction.
Dedan Simmons repeatedly stamped on Shaun McEvoy’s chest at his flat, inflicting internal injuries which caused him to collapse and die hours later.
A Woolwich Crown Court jury found Simmons guilty of murder in February 2024 and he was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years.
Last month, Simmons, from Stockwell, south London, took his case to the Court of Appeal arguing he didn’t have a fair trial.
He argued that a refusal of an intermediary, a police interview conducted without a solicitor, and jury directions had led to a trial weighted against him.
But Court of Appeal judges dismissed the case, stating that the trial judge had carefully considered expert evidence and made fair rulings throughout.
Shaun McEvoy. (Metropolitan Police / SWNS)
Shaun, 56, was described as having a heart of gold but had been battling a drug addiction for years.
In February 2023, he was at his flat in Kennington when drug dealer Simmons stormed in shouting, “where’s my money” before attacking him.
Shaun’s daughter, Carla, said at the sentencing hearing: “I understand drug use. I understand his killer is a drug dealer and he has to make money for his product.
“I understand he needs to get paid and probably has his own bosses that he needs to pay. But I cannot understand why he did this.
“It was a brutal act of violence for just £30. My father was not a strong man, he was not a fighting man. This did not need to happen.
“My father has been taken away from me twice, first by drugs sold by this man, and now by his senseless murder.”
