A man has been found guilty of murdering Darren Leach at his home on Marsden Grove, Beeston in March.
William Joyce, aged 38, of Woodview Terrace, Beeston, was found guilty yesterday (Friday 7 November 2025) following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
He was also found guilty of an offence of theft in relation to a television that belonged to Darren.
Joyce has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on Wednesday 12 November.
Darren’s body was found by friends in his house on Marsden Grove, Beeston, on the morning of 19 March. There was evidence to corroborate Darren was likely incapacitated when a smouldering fire, which was contained within the premises, took hold.
While Darren had visible burn injuries from the fire and a postmortem examination showed that he had inhaled carbon monoxide, the pathologist also found that he had seven broken ribs, multiple fractures to his larynx, a black eye and bruising to his face and neck. They concluded that these injuries were as a result of an assault which had occurred prior to the fire and that these injuries were of a life-threatening nature.
Detectives from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team were able to trace Darren’s movements the day before his body was found. After visiting Cross Flatts Park and a local shop, he returned to his home before going out again for a short time, returning home at around 4.50pm. No visible injuries were seen in any CCTV footage and there was no suggestion that he had been subject to any assault during that time.
At 4.55pm, Joyce was seen on CCTV attending Darren’s home address. They appeared to speak on the doorstep for several minutes before Joyce entered and the door closed behind him. Darren was not seen alive again. An hour and a half later, at around 6.20pm, Joyce was captured leaving the address carrying a television in a bag. No other person was seen entering or leaving the address until Darren’s body was discovered the following day.
Witnesses told the court that on 18 March, Darren was in possession of a wad of cash which he said was for rent. They also told the court Joyce was aware of this money and had been making demands for it.
“What we heard from those who knew Darren Leach was that he was a well-liked man who sadly had had issues with alcoholism in recent years. Joyce has preyed on Darren’s vulnerabilities and appears to have gone to his home that day with the intention of taking cash or other property from him.
“Darren suffered some significant, nasty injuries in the assault that Joyce subjected him to. While we do not know whether the cause of the fire was deliberate or accidental, the evidence presented to the court tells us that Darren’s injuries left him incapacitated meaning he was unable to escape the fire and therefore played a significant role in his death.
“I hope the verdict that has been passed provides some comfort to Darren’s family and friends at the end of what has been an extremely difficult year for them.”
Family statement from Darren Leach’s siblings:
William Joyce is a repeat violent offender, who would prey on vulnerable people for his own selfish gains and attacks them when he doesn’t get what he wants.
Darren Leach
William Joyce needlessly murdered our brother Darren Leach on the 18th March this year, inside his own home knowing Darren was no match for Joyce and therefore unable to stand up and defend himself against William Joyce’s vicious fatal attack.
We all are extremely happy with the jury coming to a unanimous decision and finding William Joyce guilty of murdering Darren Leach.
Our family would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Brooks and his prosecution team, the family liaison officers along with West Yorkshire Police and everyone behind the scenes, who together compiled all the evidence for presenting a very strong case to convict William Joyce.
Despite the verdict, we are still left with the pain and heartache of Darren’s death, knowing we will never see him again and Darren will never get to see his children and grandchildren grow up.
Darren was a kind and thoughtful man who lost his way through tragedy, losing our mother in 2007. Darren has now got the justice he deserves.
We love you, we miss you … finally, you can rest in peace.
South Leeds Life is published by a not-for-profit social enterprise. We keep our costs as low as possible but we’ve been hit by increases in the print costs for our monthly newspaper which have doubled in the last two years.
Could you help support local community news by making a one off donation, or even better taking out a supporters subscription?
