Grudge-fuelled murder ends in life sentence for Stephen Castle
This is the chilling moment a convicted murderer laughed and joked with officers before casually revealing the grim location of his victim’s body.
Stephen Castle, 59, strangled Wayne Woodgate, 54, following a chance encounter in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on October 17, 2024. The pair hadn’t seen each other in a decade, but Castle had harboured a deep resentment, blaming Woodgate for tipping off police during a 2015 investigation that led to Castle being jailed for firearms offences.
Now, newly released police bodycam footage has captured the killer in an unnervingly upbeat mood as officers prepared to arrest him for kidnapping. “Kidnapping, that’s a new one for me,” Castle joked. When asked where Woodgate was, he initially shrugged: “Well, I don’t know where the f*** he is, do I?” But just before officers left, he delivered a chilling confession: “He is under my bed in my flat, in a suitcase.”
Body discovered after police trace van
Woodgate had been walking through Goods Station Road in Tunbridge Wells when Castle suddenly confronted him. A witness watched as Castle forced the father and grandfather into a van, which was later tracked to Castle’s home near Matfield.
Police arrived to arrest Castle on suspicion of kidnapping. The next day, Woodgate’s body was found dumped in woodland off the A268 in Peasmarsh. He had been strangled with a ligature shortly after arriving at Castle’s address.
Decade-old feud ends in brutal killing
Castle told jurors he never meant to kill Woodgate, instead pleading guilty to manslaughter. But prosecutors painted a picture of a calculated attack driven by revenge. They said Castle was fixated on the idea that Woodgate had “grassed him up” years earlier, leading to a police raid and a prison sentence of seven and a half years.
At Maidstone Crown Court, the jury rejected Castle’s defence and unanimously found him guilty of murder. He will be sentenced on June 26.
Detectives described the case as a brutal execution of a long-held grudge. “Castle’s actions were calculated, and his behaviour after the killing – from misleading officers to hiding the body – was cold and callous,” said one senior officer.
For the loved ones of Wayne Woodgate, the verdict brings justice – but little comfort. He was described in court as a much-loved father and grandfather who never deserved to die in such horrific circumstances.
