‘MATTY NEVER GOT THE CHANCE TO SEE HIS SON’
23-year-old stabbed to death by teen who has been convicted of killing him
A TEENAGE boy who fatally stabbed a man in a row over £20 worth of drugs has been found guilty of manslaughter.
But the 17-year-old killer was cleared of murdering Matthew Dale following a two-week trial at Stafford Crown Court.
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was aged 16 when he knifed Mr Dale – known as Matty – once in the back in Lightwood Road, Longton, last October.
The teenager wanted a £20 bag of cannabis, but could not pay for it. He was refused credit and rather than hand the drugs back, the pair began fighting and the teenager produced a knife.
After more than 12 hours of deliberation the jury found him not guilty of murder by a majority of 10 to two. They also acquitted him of possessing an offensive weapon.
But following his conviction for manslaughter, Judge Kristina Montgomery told the boy he will face a period of detention.
She added: “You’ve been convicted before this court of manslaughter and that will result in your detention.
“How long that will be, will be determined when you return to court next month.”
The trial had been told paramedics called police at 12.23am on October 5 to report Mr Dale was lying in a pool of blood. He was pronounced dead before he arrived at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
The trial was told after stabbing Mr Dale, the teenager ran away with the knife in his hand.
The weapon was never recovered and he was arrested at his home within an hour. The youth told police the knife was Mr Dale’s and claimed he was the victim.
He said he was punched and kicked. He claimed Mr Dale dropped the knife and he picked it up before Mr Dale jumped at him, impaling himself on the knife as he held it out in front of him.
But he could not explain why the fatal injury was to Mr Dale’s back and not his front.
He told the police he dropped the knife at the scene before he ran away. The teenager will be sentenced next month.
The Sentinel had applied to name the boy but Judge Montgomery rejected the request until sentence has been passed.
She said: “I need to better understand the defendant’s background and what his future holds. I received the application from the local press to name the defendant and remove the reporting restrictions but I will not do that.
“I will however consider it at the sentencing hearing after listening to the submissions.”