An experienced anaesthetist who attempted to murder a record shop owner by injecting him with a lung-stopping drug in an “entirely motiveless” attack has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years.
Darren Harris, 58, posed as a customer in Gary Lewis’s vinyl store, Betterdaze, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, before carrying out the brutal assault on July 5, 2023. He spent several hours in the shop before waiting for an opportune moment to strike. As Mr. Lewis, aged 65 at the time, turned his back, Harris injected him in the thigh with a hypodermic syringe.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Harris had stolen rocuronium, a drug used in anaesthesia that can paralyse all muscles, including those necessary for breathing, from his place of work at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. He then injected Mr. Lewis, intending to cause his death. However, the drug’s effects were delayed, and Mr. Lewis was able to follow Harris outside the shop. He collapsed in the street, and a nearby shopkeeper and friend rushed to help, performing CPR until paramedics arrived.
Prosecutor Richard Herrmann described the attack as “entirely motiveless”, with no apparent connection between the two men. The court heard that Harris’s actions appeared to stem from a desire to “play God,” rather than any personal grudge. Extensive investigations revealed no links between Harris and his victim, with Mr. Lewis having never encountered Harris prior to the attack.
Harris’s chilling indifference was evident when he calmly watched Mr. Lewis’s collapse from his car, as if observing a “TV show.” He later lied about the injection, claiming it was simply “water” when questioned by the victim. However, the court was informed that the injection contained a lethal dose of rocuronium.
During the trial, Mr. Lewis provided a victim impact statement that detailed the terror and panic he felt during the attack. He described the moment he realised he was in grave danger: “I will never recover from that near-death experience. If I hadn’t had the strength to chase after him, I would have collapsed, and it would have been put down as a heart attack.” He also said, “Nothing in my life prepared me for the sheer terror and panic I felt.”
The court heard that Mr. Lewis’s extensive police training and quick thinking enabled him to follow Harris after the attack, shouting, “What was that?” Harris, however, lied and claimed he had only injected sterile water. His lack of remorse continued during police interviews, where he maintained that his actions were simply intended to scare Mr. Lewis.
In his victim impact statement, Mr. Lewis expressed the deep psychological toll the attack had taken on him, stating that Harris had shown “an exceptional level of cruelty and malevolence.” He added, “He watched me lose consciousness, he watched me die, and he did nothing to help.”
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Judge Simon Phillips KC, who sentenced Harris, said that the attack was a “wicked” and “cowardly” act, committed with the intention of exercising power over another person. The judge noted that the deliberate nature of the crime and Harris’s complete lack of remorse made the crime all the more heinous.
The court also heard in mitigation that Harris was likely suffering from a depressive illness, which may have contributed to his actions. However, Judge Phillips made it clear that despite this, the crime remained utterly incomprehensible and deeply cruel.
Harris’s actions have left Mr. Lewis profoundly affected, both physically and mentally. The attack has shaken him to the core, as he never anticipated that he would become a victim of such a cold and calculated crime in his own shop. Harris’s sentence of life imprisonment, with a minimum of 16 years before eligibility for parole, reflects the gravity of his actions and the unprovoked nature of the crime.
This case serves as a chilling reminder of the lengths to which some individuals may go, and the shocking impact that a seemingly random act of violence can have on an innocent victim.
