Liverpool man jailed for life for murder of his father

A Liverpool man has today (Wednesday 11 May) been jailed for life to serve a minimum of 14 years for the murder of his father.

David Lavender, 37, assaulted 79-year-old Anthony Lavender during a domestic disturbance at the family home in Woodhall Road in Old Swan in the early hours of 30 December 2021.

Lavender then left the house and drove off in a car along Queens Drive, which he then crashed on the flyover. He was arrested a short time later.

Officers who arrived at the family house found Anthony Lavender unconscious in the hallway and commenced CPR but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

A post mortem revealed Mr Lavender senior suffered head injuries as a result of the assault.

David Lavender pleaded guilty to murder and at Liverpool Crown Court today was jailed for life, to serve a mimimum term of 14 years.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Drew said: “This was a terribly tragic incident which resulted in the death of an elderly gentleman at the hands of his violent son.

"Tony Lavender was able to ring emergency services to alert them that he been assaulted by David but unfortunately despite the medical intervention of police officers and paramedics it was not possible to save him.

“David Lavender was arrested a short time later for his father’s murder and he is now behind bars where he will stay for a considerable period of time.

“I would like to take this opportunity to pass my condolences to the family and friends of Mr Lavender and hope that this sentence will give them a sense of closure and allow them to grieve the loss of a loved one.

"Tony was a well-loved and very popular member of his community, he was well known for selflessly giving up his own time to help others.

“Domestic abuse is a shocking and reprehensible crime and it is never acceptable, irrespective of who it affects.

“Merseyside Police has a longstanding commitment to ensuring reports of domestic abuse are thoroughly investigated and offenders prosecuted. We are also committed to giving wraparound support to all survivors.

“We know that this is not an issue that the police can tackle alone which is why we will continue to work with our partners to develop and use all available tools and practices to encourage people to report domestic abuse and offer them assistance when they do.

“We have also used domestic violence prevention notices as well as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Schemes (DVDS), also known as Clare’s Law.

“We are also focusing on evidence-led prosecutions which can be used in situations where the victim may decide that they don’t want to press charges.

“I cannot stress how important it is that anyone who finds themselves in a violent or controlling relationship doesn’t stay silent but finds the courage to speak to someone about it. You are not alone and there is a lot of help available, both via Merseyside Police and our partner organisations, so please take that first step.

“I would also encourage neighbours and friends of those that are suffering from domestic abuse to speak up. Trust your instincts - if something you’ve seen or heard doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. By knowing the signs of domestic abuse, you could help a friend, colleague or family member. Domestic abuse isn’t just physical – it can be emotional, physical, sexual, financial or controlling behaviour.”

Anyone with information on domestic abuse can contact @MerPolCC, 101 or @CrimestoppersUK, anonymously on 0800 555 111

If someone is in immediate danger they should dial 999 and speak to an operator but we also accept that openly speaking is not always an option.

The Silent Solution is a service which means a vulnerable person can call 999 and alert us, by pressing ’55.’ This will indicate that help is needed and we will respond.