Police won’t investigate seller of lethal blade
THE knife dealer who sold a lethal blade to one of Jack Woodley’s killers will not be investigated.
Ten teenagers are now serving life sentences after being convicted of jointly murdering the 18-year-old stranger in Houghton-lespring, last October.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Jack was surrounded and attacked by the lads, who were all aged 14 to 18 at the time, before being fatally knifed in the back.
He died the following night in hospital.
The weapon used to kill Jack was described as a “Rambo-style knife”
One 15-year-old admitted delivering the fatal knife blow, but the jury found all 10 guilty of murder.
During the trial it emerged that the lad had bought the knife from a “street dealer” in London, where he had lived previously and brought it with him when he came to live in
the North East. However, Northumbria Police has confirmed there would be no further investigation into the origin of the knife.
A spokeswoman said: “The knife was bought from a ‘street dealer’ in London by (the defendant) and brought to the North East.
“This all emerged in his cross-examination at the trial. There is no investigation into this aspect of the case ongoing or planned.”
Following the conviction of Jack’s killers an expert in youth crime said the type of weapon used in the murder
was particularly worrying.
Dr Roberts, from the University of Portsmouth, who has devoted her career to studying youth violence and its causes, said: “To have a knife of that kind is just awful.
“This is a different category of weapon.”
Jack’s killers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were handed life sentences with minimum custodial terms totalling 124 years.
But nine out of the 10 have now submitted appeals against their convictions.