Murder victim Andrew Darn will always remain close to sister's heart 'inside a locket'
Andrew Darn's younger sister Natalie says her life "came to a total stop" when he was murdered at the Tyne Tunnel Industrial Estate in March this year
by Daniel Hall · ChronicleLiveThe sister of a man who was brutally stabbed in a row over parking has said that her older brother is still close to her heart in a locket.
Andrew Darn's younger sister Natalie carried her brother's casket at his funeral alongside five other family members, and says that her life "came to a total stop" when she found out her brother had died in March this year. A dispute sparked by parking which started 14 years ago had caused issues between two firms on the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate, in North Shields, long before Andrew Darn began working at Easy Access Garage Doors in 2022.
Dad-of-three Andrew had played no role in the feud and had even expressed his disapproval at the petty altercations with The Deli, run by Alder Willis and his partner. Nevertheless, he was savagely murdered by pensioner Willis, who was jailed for life at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday.
68-year-old Willis, of Allanville, Camperdown, was told he must serve 18 years before he has any hope of freedom. Emotional victim impact statements were read out from Andrew's fiancé Stephanie, parents Deborah and Michael, and younger sister Natalie.
Natalie said: "When I arrived home, nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. As soon as I stepped one foot through the door, I was told the devastating news that Andrew had been taken away from us by the hand of someone else.
"At that very moment, my life came to a total stop as I dropped to the floor of the front doorway with a pain I have never felt before - a grief like no other. Since that time, my body has continued to go forward but my heart and everything else still remains at the front doorstep.
"Since Andrew had been there since the day I was born, it was only fitting that I carried his casket at his funeral. I carried him with pride along with five other family members.
"Now I carry him every day, inside a heart locket, which I wear close to my heart – where he will always remain.
"To know I’m never going to get the chance to have both of my brothers by my side, is a pain on its own like no other. I no longer live my life - I just survive."
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