The mum of Connor Brown has expressed her agony after the man who helped kill her son has seen his licence period end.
Connor was just 18 years old when he was killed in February 2019 while trying to protect others from thug Leighton Barrass who had pulled out a knife during an argument. Tragically, Connor was fatally stabbed in an alleyway near Sunderland's Gatsby's pub.
While Barrass, then 20, was found guilty of murder, his accomplice, Ally Gordon, walked away with convictions for manslaughter and for possessing a bladed weapon. Gordon, who was also 20 at the time of the incident, helped in Barrass' brutal attack on Connor, stamping on and kicking him.
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Gordon was handed a three-and-a-half-year prison term at Newcastle Crown Court in December 2019 but thanks to time already served behind bars, he was released from prison on licence just a year after the trial in November 2020. And now, Connor's family have been given the heartbreaking news that his licence period has ended.
Licence conditions are the set of rules individuals must follow if they are released from prison but now Gordon's licence period has ended. Connor's mum Tanya has spoken of her anger as she had to face up to the fact her son's killer is now "free to do whatever he pleases".
Tanya said: "We knew it was coming up and I avoided the call thinking it would make it a little less real, then I received a confirmation email regarding the matter and realised I had to face up to the fact it was happening. This then led me to inform the rest of the family so they had time to get their heads around it.
"It has been really difficult to come to terms with as nothing has changed for us, it still feels like yesterday and now he is free to get on with his life. Connor is still gone and we miss him more and more every day, it hurts knowing Connor isn't able to live his life to the full and seeing all the things he is missing with friends and family.
"I am still so very angry at the justice system and the lenient sentence he received for his part in Connor's death and that will never change. I hope he has learned something in the short time he has been in prison and becomes a better person, a person without knives or any acts of violence."
The Court of Appeal heard arguments in 2020 that Gordon's three-and-a-half-year prison sentence was unduly lenient, but appeal judges upheld the sentence.
Tanya, along with Connor's dad Simon Brown, has vowed to continue Connor's legacy through the Connor Brown Trust by engaging with young people and working to prevent knife crime in the community. They are currently looking at having 'Bleed Kits' fitted around Sunderland which can help prevent catastrophic bleeding.
You can keep up to date on the Connor Brown Trust through the Facebook page here.
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