Victim’s mum: ‘Killer Healless
THE mum of much-loved teenager Alex Davies believes his murderer will always be too dangerous to be released into society.
Brian Healless was locked up for life with a minimum of 24 years after he lured Alex o his death.
Beverley Davies described her son as kind and gentle – the “antithesis” of the boy who stole their future.
Speaking after jurors took less than an hour to convict Healless of murder, she said: “We are so relieved that the jury came to the right decision and common sense prevailed.
“Although the verdict won’t bring back Alex, he was much loved by us all.
“A kind and gentle boy, the antithesis of his murderer who we believe should never be released and will always be a danger to society.”
Healless, now a patient at a secure mental health unit, admitted stabbing Alex but argued he had diminished responsibility due to his paranoid schizophrenia.
Yet Preston Crown Court heard the “calculating” 18-year-old had not just planned the attack – taking a kitchen knife to his meeting with Alex on Parbold Hill – he also took measures to cover his tracks. Healless, of Rylands Road in Chorley, then repeated the same pattern of behaviour while messaging other males on dating website Grindr in a bid to meet them in secluded spots.
This led the judge, His Honour Mark Brown, to conclude: “There can be no doubt you were setting up the next victim to kill and it is extremely fortuitous you were arrested before anybody else suffered the same fate.”
Lancashire police detectives swooped on Healless within days of the April 29, 2019 murder – crucially halting him before he could strike again.
Ms Davies continued: “We as a family would like to thank the police and the prosecution for all their diligence and continued support throughout the trial.