Thomas Rogers: Brothers jailed for killing younger sibling

Two brothers have been jailed for killing their younger sibling after stabbing him in the heart amid a family feud.

Thomas Rogers, 26, was attacked while sitting in a car on Mill Pool Way, Birmingham, on 22 August last year.

David Rogers, 33, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years after being found guilty of murder.

At the same Birmingham Crown Court hearing, Samuel Rogers, 30, was jailed for nine years for manslaughter.

The court heard Thomas Rogers was killed a day after windows were smashed at Samuel Rogers's Nottinghamshire home.

The feud was said to be down to a "number of reasons" which led to the victim falling out with several relatives.

His actions towards his mother had also contributed to the rift within the family, jurors were told.

David Rogers, of Nora Street, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, had told police he was not involved in the killing and was elsewhere at the time.

But, jurors learned, he later changed his account and accepted he had a knife and had unlawfully killed his brother with it, yet did not intend to kill him or cause serious injury.

Samuel Rogers, of St Michael's Street in Sutton-in-Ashfield, said he accepted he was armed with a knife but was unaware his older brother had harmed anyone.

The jury rejected the versions of each, and found both men to be killers.

Thomas Rogers was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after being stabbed.

In a statement read to the court, the brothers' mother Carole Rogers said she was heartbroken and believed her older sons would not have left their younger sibling to die if they had known how badly injured he was.

"I wish I could turn the clock back but I can't. In the blink of an eye I have lost all three of my sons," she said.

"My whole life has been shattered into pieces and no one can fix it for me."

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