Teen admits killing college student, 16
A teenager was warned he faced going to jail for a “very long time indeed” after admitting the murder of 16-year-old South Yorkshire college student Leonne Weeks.
Two men shouted from the public gallery at a Sheffield Crown Court after Shea Peter Heeley, 19, changed his plea to guilty.
Wait until the day you come out - I promise you I will do the same to you. A man who made threats to Shea Peter Heeley in the courtroom.
A TEENAGER was warned he faced going to jail for a “very long time indeed” after admitting the murder of 16-year-old South Yorkshire college student Leonne Weeks.
Amid angry scenes yesterday, two men shouted from the public gallery at a Sheffield Crown Court, after Shea Peter Heeley, 19, changed his plea to guilty.
One man shouted at him: “Wait until the day you come out – I promise you now I will do the same to you. Wait until you walk out of jail – I will wait.”
Heeley, dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms and flanked by a number of security guards in the dock, showed no emotion during the hearing and spoke only to enter his guilty plea.
Miss Weeks died after being stabbed 28 times in January last year. Her body was found on a pathway in Dinnington, South Yorkshire.
The college student’s friends had told how she “had gone to meet someone” before her body was discovered by a member of the public on the isolated pathway.
Police have confirmed that the victim and Heeley lived near each other.
They knew each other through mutual friends but the full circumstances of her murder have not been disclosed.
Judge Paul Watson QC told Heeley the only suitable sentence would be life imprisonment and that he would go to jail for a ‘very long time indeed’.
He said a 50-page psychiatric report had been produced which concluded that Heeley was fit to enter a plea.
“The conclusion is that there are no psychiatric diagnoses or disorders,” the judge revealed.
Heeley, of Dinnington, will be sentenced on March 5.
The court heard the victim’s body was found hidden under a sofa on a pathway and police said she suffered multiple stab wounds to her head and upper body.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Tate of South Yorkshire Police, the senior investigating officer, said: “This has been a complex and lengthy inquiry, with the investigative team working tirelessly to bring this before the courts.
“Leonne was a young girl who had her whole life ahead of her.
“Heeley selfishly and violently took that away, leaving a family without a daughter, a sister and a friend.
“I’m pleased that the family have not had to endure a trial and that he has today admitted his guilt.”
Mr Tate added: “My thoughts are with Leonne’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time and I’d like to praise them for the strength they have shown and continue to show throughout this process.”
Miss Weeks was studying hair and beauty at Dinnington College.
After her murder, her family released a statement which said: “We are devastated at the loss of our beautiful daughter and sister Leonne.
“She was very much loved and will be missed by all of us.”
On Leonne’s Facebook account shortly after her death, there were more than 100 tributes posted under her latest profile picture.
A girl who went to Dinnington High School, where Leonne had been a pupil, said at the time: “She was a lovely girl – very high-spirited and so funny. She wouldn’t hurt nobody – not even a fly it’s just so a shame that this has happened.”
Dozens of floral tributes were left near the muddy pathway in the days after the tragedy as officers in forensic suits scoured the area where the teenager’s body was found.