Nine of the ten teenagers convicted of murdering Jack Woodley will appeal their convictions. In Houghton-le-Spring, England, in October last year, a group of thuggish teenagers approached and attacked 18-year-old Jack Woodley, who was then stabbed in the back with a Rambo style. The sad event happened as Woodley was returning home from a fair. According to the Daily Mail, the youngsters killed the 18-year-old ‘solely for excitement and fun’.
Murder of Jack Woodley
After a lengthy trial at Newcastle Crown Court where witnesses described how Jack was ‘isolated’ by a group that was ‘like zombies attacking an animal’, the ten youngsters, aged between 14 and 18, were found guilty in June. Although a 15-year-old admitted to using the knife that killed the victim, the jury found all 10 defendants guilty of murder. On October 16, Woodley was punched, kicked, stomped and stabbed as he went to collect keys to a new apartment and was due to start work the following Monday.
The group went out “looking for serious trouble that day”, according to the prosecution, and tried to “create a conflict” with Woodley at the festival when they were “looking for an excuse to attack someone”, they claimed. According to the BBC, when they challenged Woodley to a fight he refused, but they followed him out of the fair anyway with between 30 and 40 youngsters. A 16-year-old attacked Woodley from behind as he approached the Britannia Inn, sparking a fight that ended with a 15-year-old fatally stabbing Woodley in the back. Each child, none of whom can be identified, was responsible for Woodley’s death, but their level of involvement varied, according to Judge Rodney Jameson QC.
Although he claimed that all the teenagers “didn’t want to kill”, he said that one of them had the opportunity to stop the attack, but “the mob mentality took over and it cost Jack his life.” He said: “None of those hopes will come true now. He had a lot to look forward to and must have high hopes for the future. He claimed some young people used the party as an “opportunity” to fight over “meaningless rivalries” between neighboring communities and that the attackers targeted Woodley because he was a “citizen”.
The judge added as she imposed punishment on the group: “No punishment will bring Jack back to his family and loved ones or lessen the suffering they will experience in the future. It may seem unfair that Jack can live released as a young man, but you can’t because of what you did According to ChronicleLive, the case is believed to be one of the first in which up to 10 suspects have been convicted of “having committed a single murder. “You made the choice to put your needs and those of your co-defendants first over Jack and his family.You went to great lengths to interfere with their right to justice. You probably regret what happened for a variety of reasons, but regret is not the same as remorse,” a judge added.
The 15-year-old carrying the gun, who had fled to the North East to avoid his hometown’s gang and knife culture, is expected to serve at least 17 years. The 16-year-old attacker must serve at least 13 years and 6 months in prison. At least 15 will be served by a 17-year-old who went with the boy to get his knife just before the incident. The judge said the youngest defendant, who was 14 at the time and now 15, was “not as much to blame as most of the others in the dock” because of his youth and of his low IQ. He will spend eight years there. A 15-year-old who was 14 at the time, who shouted “get the helicopter out” and pleasantly “punched” the victim before the attack, will serve at least 13 years in prison. The court called it a ‘weeping shame’ that the 18-year-old, who was 17 at the time, got ‘gotten’ into trouble after overcoming his low IQ and ADHD to win a well-regarded job, and he must serve at least 11 years. The judge ruled that a 16-year-old who was 15 at the time was seen in cellphone footage heading into the altercation for a few seconds while wearing a balaclava or balaclava, even though the youth was not identified by any witnesses and provided no statement. to the police or the court. The youngster will serve at least 11 years in prison. A 15-year-old who was 14 at the time will serve at least 10 years in prison as the judge deemed him an “easy-to-lead” ‘warrior’ with a history of violent behavior. The judge determined that an 18-year-old who was 17 at the time and was a member of the group that got the knife but was not “particularly brilliant or an obvious leader” will serve at least 15 years. The court ordered a 16-year-old who was 15 at the time and said he grabbed Woodley but didn’t realize the victim was there because he was trying to stop the aggression spend at least 11 years. For all offenders combined, the minimum sentences total 124 years and 6 months.
Father John Woodley, mother Zoey McGill, stepfather Chris McGill and brothers Jayden, Jenson and Tyler are the only surviving members of Jack Woodley’s family. The whole family would be “forever tormented by the horror of Jack’s injuries”, according to Zoey.
