Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Friday 14th March 2025, at 17:30hrs
Nina Mercer, 43, has been found guilty of murder following the fatal stabbing of Alan Tomkins, 61, at his home in Strood.
The verdict was delivered at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, March 14, 2025, after a trial that revealed a brutal attack and subsequent attempts to conceal the crime.
The incident occurred on July 23, 2024, at Mr. Tomkins’ flat in Newark Court, Gun Lane.
Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Mercer, who was living with Mr. Tomkins, stabbed him multiple times at approximately 6 PM.
Mr. Tomkins, who had earlier received a food delivery, sustained six stab wounds, one of which was delivered with such force that the knife remained lodged in his back.
Following the attack, Mercer fled the scene and met with Lee Robinson, 45, of Frindsbury Road, Strood.
The pair returned to the victim’s flat, where Robinson stole Mr. Tomkins’ wallet and bank card. Mercer then drove Mr. Tomkins’ car to Cuxton Leisure Park, where she is believed to have disposed of her bloodstained clothing.
Concerns were raised for Mr. Tomkins’ welfare on July 25, 2024, when an acquaintance reported him missing to Kent Police.
Officers forced entry into his flat and discovered his body in the hallway. During the police presence at the scene, Mercer returned to the property and was arrested.
Subsequent investigations, including CCTV analysis and forensic testing of the knife, which revealed Mercer’s DNA, provided crucial evidence against her.
Lee Robinson and two associates were later identified using the victim’s stolen bank cards at a shop in Brompton Lane.
Robinson was arrested on July 31, 2024.
Mercer was charged with murder on July 29, 2024, and pleaded not guilty. Robinson was charged with assisting an offender, theft, and fraud. He denied assisting an offender but admitted to theft and fraud.
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence showing Mercer’s suspicious movements and attempts to mislead others about Mr. Tomkins’ whereabouts.
Robinson was found not guilty of assisting an offender, but was found guilty of theft and fraud.
Detective Chief Inspector Emma Lawry, the senior investigating officer, expressed her dismay at the crime, stating,
“The victim had allowed Nina Mercer to stay at his flat and is thought to have funded her lifestyle. She callously repaid him in a brutal assault with a knife that ended his life.
Mercer did not seek medical assistance for Mr. Tomkins, but sought to cover her tracks. She denied her guilt but has now been convicted following a trial.”
Mercer and Robinson will be sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
DCI Lawry added, “Whilst Mercer is currently remanded to await her sentence, I hope the conviction affords the victim’s relatives and friends the opportunity to find some closure following these tragic events.”
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