A family destroyed
Mum confronts killers of son, 17 as drug gang is jailed 119 years
A HEARTBROKEN mum confronted her teenage son’s seven killers as a mob who “hunted him” were jailed for a total of at least 119 years.
Emma Baker looked the men in the eye as she told a court of her family’s “nightmare” since Harry, 17, was stabbed to death. She said: “Four lives were taken when
Harry died. They took a normal family of four and destroyed us all.”
Harry ran for his life as he and a friend were ambushed and chased for a mile through Barry in SouthWales.
But despite scaling a docks fence, Harry was caught and subjected to a “swift, bloody and merciless attack” then left to die by the drugs gang – one aged just 16.
Emma, 44, said she wanted to face down his killers, and read her statement aloud:
“I feel this is one of the last things I can do for Harry, which is to be his mum and show how much he was loved.
“To lose your child in such traumatic and violent circumstances is too hard to bear.
“The overwhelming feelings of pain and grief we feel as a family will be with us for the rest of our lives.”
Emma, a hairdresser of Llanrumney, Cardiff, said that Harry had “got sucked in” to drugs just before he was killed:
“We were a normal family of four, we ate dinner together, we went on family holidays.
“We were not prepared for the change in Harry at 16. He found a different lifestyle with different friends and we felt powerless to change this, no matter how hard we tried.
“We were aware he was involved in drugs but never imagined how deep he was in.The days before he died he did not come home and we knew he was in trouble and we could to keep him safe.
“Being involved in drugs is glamourised too much in the younger generations and Harry got sucked in.” She read out her last text to Harry, which said she loved him and wanted him to return home so they could talk. But that was followed by police knocking on her door to say he was dead.
Judge Mr Justice Picken said Emma had shown “great courage and dignity” by reading her statement in court.
Brandon Liversidge was named as the youngest of the murderers, after reporting restrictions were lifted.
Liversidge, 17, of Ely, Cardiff was 16 at the time. He was detained for at least 20 years.
Three men were jailed for murder: Leon Symons, 22, of Cardiff, must serve a minimum 28 years; Leon Clifford, 23, and Peter McCarthy, 37, both of Barry, will serve at least 27 and 23 years respectively.
Three more, from Barry, were locked up for manslaughter after the trial at Newport Crown Court.
Ryan Palmer, 34, will serve a minimum of 11 years, while Raymond Thompson, 48, and Lewis Evans, 62, will serve at least six and four, respectively.
Paul Lewis QC, prosecuting, had said that Harry “was ruthlessly hunted down.
“As he lay dying, his attackers made off in a car sent to the scene in order to make their getaway.” DCI Andy Miles, of South Wales Police, said the convictions could “provide justice for Harry and his devastated family” but added: “No sentence will ever be long enough for them.” did all we