Criminal expert ‘shocked’ to hear details of murder

JACK Woodley’s horrific murder could be first of its kind in this country, a crime expert has said.

Dr Sue Roberts, whose research specialises knife crime and youth crime, believes the case is the first time 10 young killers have been convicted of one murder in UK courts.

And the academic fears the tragedy could be the start of a terrifying post lockdown trend, which will see more young people using knives and violence.

The 10 teenagers, who were jointly responsible for his murder, were all under the age of 18 at the time.

All 10 were sentenced to a combined total of 124 years at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday. The youth who inflicted the stab wound was sentenced to 17 years.

Dr Roberts, from the University of Portsmouth, has devoted her career to studying youth violence and its causes.

But she admits she was still shocked to hear details of how 18-year-old Jack was surrounded, beaten and killed by a mob of 10 teen strangers, aged just 14 to 18.

She said: “It’s a horrible case. The attack on Jack is very very unusual. I have come across this in the States but not in this country, not of that nature.

“There are gang attacks, but this is horrendous. It’s not something we see. The striking thing is the age of the offenders. It is very very worrying. These are children.”

Jack had enjoyed a day out at the

Houghton Feast funfair, in Houghton-le-spring, when was stabbed in the back with a “Rambostyle” knife after the gang of young thugs surrounded and attacked him, last October.

He died in hospital the following night.

During the killers’ long trial at Newcastle Crown Court, witnesses described how Jack was “isolated” by a mob who were “like zombies attacking an animal”.

One 15-year-old admitted delivering the fatal knife blow, but the jury found all 10 guilty of murder after hearing how Jack was punched, kicked and stamped on.

Dr Roberts said the type of knife used in Jack’s murder was also shocking.

But she said since lockdown she had seen a trend of more young people using the ‘dark web’ to buy fearsome and illegal weapons.

“To have a knife of that kind is just awful. This is a different category of

weapon,” she explained.

“But we are seeing that during lockdown children seem to have spent a long time becoming acquainted with some of the dark sides of the internet, in particular the dark web, and they have become very very adept at using it. We are seeing it manifest itself in young children.”

While Jack was killed after the teenagers came together to target him, the court heard the attack had not been planned significantly.

And Dr Roberts said this is also unusual in youth violence.

“It does seem to me to represent an unusual set of circumstances,” she said.

“They have ganged-up rather than been in rival gangs.

“Most knife attacks, especially in London, are related to drugs and organised on social media.

“In that sense this is unusual because attacks if this nature do tend to be planned.”

But sadly Dr Roberts believes cases like this may become more common once the full impact of the Covid lockdowns on young people becomes apparent.

“What strikes me the most is recently we have seen many attacks involving children who are very very young,” she said.

“When I did some research in New York I noticed a very sharp rise in children’s ability to use the dark web and with them researching violence.

“I do think we are at the beginning of a very difficult time for children.

“The youngest I have met that carried a knife was nine and children are becoming more accustomed to feeling they need to carry them.

“It’s just awful, the knife was in one pocket and there was a toy bear in the other.

“Children who are very young see this as normal.”

On Friday, the 10 teens responsible for Jack’s murder were sentenced

very to serve over 124 years in detention by Judge Rodney Jameson QC.

Sentencing the youth who inflicted the stab wound, the court heard he had one previous conviction for possession of a blade, and had lived in London where he became “involved in gang culture”.

His parents then decided to bring him to the North East in an attempt to get him away from that scene.

When he started school, he told other pupils he had stabbed two people – however, there was no evidence to support his claim, which was described as “bravado”.

Judge Jameson said he was “satisfied” the teen went to the Houghton Feast to get involved in violence and was “sure” he intended to kill Jack when he inflicted the stabs.

He was sentenced to serve a minimum term of 17 years before he is eligible for release.

The second teen, who is 16 years old, was sentenced to serve a minimum term of 13 and a half years.

The third teen, 15, was sentenced to a minimum term of 15 years.

The fourth teen was sentenced to serve a minimum of 15 years.

The youngest of the defendants, a 15-year-old, was sentenced to a minimum of eight years.

The sixth teen, also 15 years old was sentenced to serve a minimum of 13 years.

The seventh teen, 15, must serve a minimum of 10 years.

The eighth teen, who is 16 years old, must serve a minimum of 11 years.

The ninth youth, 16, must serve a minimum of 11 years.

The tenth teen, the second 18-year-old, must serve a minimum of 11 years.