Murdered by thug, 15, for challenging yobs at Asda
A BOY of 15 was yesterday convicted of murdering a shopper who had challenged a group of teenagers for messing about in a supermarket’s toilets.
Software engineer Ian Kirwan, 53, was knifed in the heart outside the Asda store by the boy, then just 14. Mr Kirwan died en route to hospital last March.
A court heard the teenagers, aged between 13 and 15, were part of a masked gang which had ‘terrorised’ the public in Redditch, Worcestershire.
The group had travelled by train from Birmingham, prosecutor Benjamin Aina, KC, said. During the journey one of the group had been seen brandishing the weapon, while the group threw rubbish around the carriage – causing other passengers to move away.
Married Mr Kirwan, who lived in Redditch, worked as an artificial intelligence engineer for Jaguar Land Rover. He was killed after driving to B&Q beside the Asda store to buy a light switch.
Mr Aina said: ‘He entered the customer toilets and came into contact with a group of five young males who were messing about.
‘A little later he left the toilets, he left the Asda store and some of the boys were outside, and he challenged them. ‘‘Why were you messing about in the toilets’’ – words to that effect.’ Mr Aina said a scuffle broke out and Mr Kirwan was kicked, adding: ‘During that scuffle Ian Kirwan was stabbed once to his heart’.
The killer stood trial alongside four other youths. Jurors cleared three of those boys – two now aged 14 and one 16 – of murder and manslaughter but found them guilty of violent disorder.
A fifth boy, aged 16, was acquitted. All those convicted will be sentenced next month. High Court Judge Mr Justice Fraser told the 15- year- old killer that he was ‘going to be sentenced to the youth equivalent of a life sentence’. Outside court, Detective Superintendent Leighton Harding described the murder as an ‘appalling attack on an innocent man going about his daily life’. In a statement released by West Mercia Police, Mr Kirwan’s widow, Lyndsey, paid tribute to him and said she will ‘never recover’ from his death.
‘Normally when a person dies, they are surrounded by loved ones and family but he died alone surrounded by strangers who were kind enough to help him. Nobody should ever have to die like that.’
Last night police released clips from the store’s video security system. The trial heard one of the group had been bragging about urinating on the floor while another banged on Mr Kirwan’s cubicle door to hurry him up.
After leaving the toilets, the gang sat on trollies outside the store – where Mr Kirwan decided to confront them.
After he asked who was responsible for the behaviour in the toilet, jurors heard one of the group replied: ‘If you want a problem, we’ll have a problem’ before Mr Kirwan was stabbed.
‘Died surrounded by strangers’