The heartbroken dad of a teenager murdered in a fight arranged on Snapchat says his son finally has “closure” after a judge lifted reporting restrictions on his killers’ names.
Ian Nice, 47, said it was a “relief” after James White, 16, and Mark Nuttall, 15, were formally identified as his son Reece Tansey's attackers.
During the evening of May 4 last year, the pair had arranged via the messaging service to fight Reece, 15, in a park near Bolton, Lancashire.
A court heard how the friends, who “pretended they were gangsters”, crept out of their home armed with a knife each before heading to meet their victim. Reece, who had turned up at the meeting place unarmed and alone, was stabbed six times during the clash.
He later staggered to a nearby property and was comforted by strangers before using his dying breath to identify his killers' names to the police.
White was convicted of murder and detained for 15 years, while Nuttall was found guilty of manslaughter and given a six-year term.
Speaking after the pair were identified, Ian, who described Reece as his “best friend”, said his son would have wanted his killers' names to be revealed.
Ian, who works in traffic management, said that he last spoke to Reece in the hours before his death, where he’d asked him to come over to his home for a takeaway but the teen had said he wanted to see pals instead.
Dad Ian added: “I’m so proud of him. If I had been stabbed several times, I’m sure I would have fallen to the floor and that would be it.
“He knocked on someone’s door crying for help, and they held his hand – they were with him until he died. I thanked the people dearly for what they did for my son."
Ian, whose family is appealing the length of Nuttall's jail term, believes that the sentences that he and White received won’t deter kids from carrying knives in the future.
He said: “There has to be a law and tougher sentences for knife crime because there are kids killing kids. You’re not carrying a knife to cut potatoes and carrots on a street. You’re carrying a knife intentionally to kill someone.”
Ian, who is part of a charity called Stop knife Crime Bolton, says he wants Reece’s name to live on, as he plans to talk to school kids and spread awareness in the future.
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