Ten teenagers have been sentenced to life terms for the murder of an 18-year-old as he made his way home from a funfair.
Jack Woodley was fatally stabbed after being "surrounded and isolated" by a group of young people who chased him down an alleyway in Houghton le Spring, Sunderland, last year. During the attack on October 16, he was punched, kicked, stamped on, and stabbed with a 25cm "Rambo style" knife, the jury heard.
Prosecutors noted that the group had gone out "looking for serious trouble that day" and tried to "create conflict" with Mr Woodley at the festival, adding that they "looked for any excuse to attack someone". On Friday (August 5) the 15-year-old who inflicted the fatal stab wound to Mr Woodley in the back was detained for a minimum of 17 years.
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Meanwhile, Judge Rodney Jameson QC, sentenced the other nine defendants, aged between 14 and 18, to minimum terms ranging from eight and 15 years detention. He added that if they are released following the term, they will remain on licence for the rest of their lives.
The total minimum term for all the defendants equals to 124 years and six months. Nine of the youths, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denied murder and manslaughter. One of the defendants pleaded guilty to manslaughter and admitted to stabbing Mr Woodley, however, they added that they did not intend to kill him.
At the start of the trial at Newcastle Crown Court in March, prosecutor Mark McKone QC said that while only one of the youths stabbed Mr Woodley, the other nine were guilty due to "the concept of joint enterprise". All 10 defendants were convicted of murder by the jury in June.
Sentencing the group, the judge said: “No sentence can restore Jack to his family and loved ones, or reduce the pain they will endure now and in the future. It may seem unfair that you will be able to live at liberty while still young men, while Jack cannot because of what you did.”
Judge Jameson described how Mr Woodley was due to start a job on the Monday after he was attacked and was on the way to pick up keys for a new flat, saying he had "much to look forward to". He added that the group only attacked him "solely for the excitement and pleasure of inflicting serious injury on an entirely innocent and randomly selected stranger".
The judge told the defendant that the violence they inflicted on the victim "though short-lived, was appalling" while adding that they all "played a part in causing Jack's death". While six of the teenagers had given evidence during the trial, the judge said none of them "was prepared to tell the truth about what the others did".
He added: "You decided to put the interests of yourself and your co-defendants before those of Jack and his family. You did everything you could to deny them justice.
“I’m sure you do regret what happened for many reasons, but regret is not remorse.”
Judge Jameson told the teenager who stabbed Mr Woodley: “I have concluded that you intended to kill when you inflicted the second stab wound. I accept that intention may have been formed in the heat of the moment.
“It is, however, that sort of escalation that can occur when violence is carried out mob-handed and when armed with a deadly knife.”
During the trial, Mr McKone said mr Woodley was leaving the Houghton Feast funfair when the defendants - who he didn't know - "surrounded and isolated" him. One of the teenagers first put Mr Woodley in a headlock and punched him, before the others "joined in".
Jurors heard how one of them was head shouting "get the chopper" - referring to the knife - in mobile phone footage of the incident.
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