Haunting video footage shows 15-year-old Reece Tansey being chased down the street just moments before he was attacked and killed.
Reece was stabbed six times following an altercation with two boys - who cannot be named for legal reasons - in the early hours of May 4, 2021.
One of the teens, Boy A, has now been found guilty of murder and jailed for 15 years. The other, Boy B, has been found guilty of manslaughter and has been jailed for six years.
Reece agreed to meet up with the boys after a fight was arranged through messages on Snapchat at Walker Avenue in Bolton.
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Through a five-week trial at Manchester Crown Court, the court heard how Reece was stabbed with a kitchen knife six times - three of the stab wounds were so deep, a post-mortem reported, that they could have each caused death alone.
Following the attack, the defendants ran off from the scene and Reece was left severely injured in the street, where he was later helped by local residents.
Despite the very best efforts of emergency services Reece tragically died from his injuries.
The court was told how both boys fled the scene following the fatal attack.
Boy A later sent a Snapchat video of himself carrying a knife covered in blood, accompanied by the word ‘muppet’.
He sent another message to Boy B, which said: "I thought it only went through his coat so I kept doing it.”
Adding: "He's dead now."
Boy B responded with a laughing emoji.
The Honourable Mrs Justice Farbey DBE, who proceeded over both the trial and the two boy’s sentencing, told Boy A: “I am sure that you took the leading role in goading Reece to the confrontation.
“Using Snapchat, you threatened him with violence.
“You used obscene and humiliating language towards him.
“About two hours before his death, you said that you would make him beg for his life.”
Speaking about the footage shared on social media, Justice Farbey told Boy A: “Your decision to circulate that image on Snapchat was chilling.”
She said that she accepted both the boys and Reece had shared ‘aggressive’ messages with one another prior to the meeting, but did not think Reece was serious in his claims.
She explained: “I do not think that Reece’s messages showed that he wanted a serious fight.
“I am sure that Reece’s messages were the words of a frightened child trying in vain to scare you off from fighting him.
“Because of his young age, he was unable to overcome the peer pressure you put on him to fight.”
Boy A was found guilty of murder and was handed a 15 year sentence.
Addressing him, the judge said: “You goaded and taunted Reece into meeting you. He was a child like you. Even if you did not exploit his young age, he was outnumbered and he was unarmed.”
Boy B was found guilty of manslaughter. He was given a sentence of six years.
Addressing him, Justice Farbey said: “Reports demonstrate that you are immature for your age. You are susceptible to peer pressure.
“But Reece was on his own and not armed.
“It ought to have been obvious to you that chasing Reece with a knife in order to back up Boy A who was armed with a knife carried a high risk of serious injury to Reece.”
Following the sentencing, officers from Greater Manchester Police, who have been involved in the case, issued statements described Reece’s murder as a ‘terribly traumatic incident’ and a 'callous act of violence'.
They added they hoped the sentences would raise awareness of the dangers surrounding knife crime.
Detective Inspector Nicola McCulloch, of GMPs Major Incident Team, said: "Reece's murder was a terribly traumatic incident which shocked the entire local community including the students and staff of the school that Reece attended.
"This was a completely mindless and callous act of violence from two such young boys who have left a family devastated by the loss of Reece at only 15-years-old.
“Our thoughts are very much with Reece's loved ones today and I hope this verdict brings some peace for them in that justice has now been served."
Inspector Paul Nolan, from GMPs Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), added: “We are committed to reducing violent crime, and prevention in this case is key.
"Following the tragic murder of Reece, I'd like to take this opportunity to urge parents and carers to speak to other young people about the dangers of knife crime and how one wrong decision can ruin multiple lives.
“Good friends can also prevent knife crime from occurring so please look out for each other."
In a victim statement read out in court, Reece's mum Laura said: "Reece was our 15-year-old son, he made us smile, he made us laugh, he made us tear our hair out at times, a typical teenage lad, but he was ours.
"Reece was fiercely protective of his mum and little brother, and saw himself as the man of the house. His dad saw him as his best friend.
"Reece was simply our world, and his death has devastated us beyond belief."
