Ten teenagers handed life sentences for murder of 18-year-old attacked while walking home

Ten teenagers have been sentenced to life terms for the murder of an 18-year-old as he made his way home from a funfair.

Jack Woodley was fatally stabbed after being "surrounded and isolated" by a group of young people who chased him down an alleyway in Houghton le Spring, Sunderland, last year. During the attack on October 16, he was punched, kicked, stamped on, and stabbed with a 25cm "Rambo style" knife, the jury heard.

Prosecutors noted that the group had gone out "looking for serious trouble that day" and tried to "create conflict" with Mr Woodley at the festival, adding that they "looked for any excuse to attack someone". On Friday (August 5) the 15-year-old who inflicted the fatal stab wound to Mr Woodley in the back was detained for a minimum of 17 years.

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Meanwhile, Judge Rodney Jameson QC, sentenced the other nine defendants, aged between 14 and 18, to minimum terms ranging from eight and 15 years detention. He added that if they are released following the term, they will remain on licence for the rest of their lives.

The total minimum term for all the defendants equals to 124 years and six months. Nine of the youths, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denied murder and manslaughter. One of the defendants pleaded guilty to manslaughter and admitted to stabbing Mr Woodley, however, they added that they did not intend to kill him.

At the start of the trial at Newcastle Crown Court in March, prosecutor Mark McKone QC said that while only one of the youths stabbed Mr Woodley, the other nine were guilty due to "the concept of joint enterprise". All 10 defendants were convicted of murder by the jury in June.