A teenager who killed a devoted dad outside his own Tyneside home by stabbing him in the heart has been jailed for more than 12 years.
Mohammed Rabani was found guilty of the manslaughter of Nathaniel Wardle but was cleared by a jury of murder. His co-accused, Robbie Battista, was found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter but admitted being in possession of a knife at the scene, which Rabani also admitted.
Newcastle Crown Court previously heard that Rabani, Battista and a youth had turned up looking for someone else for a "straightener" when Mr Wardle, known as Natty, returned home to Holy Cross, Wallsend. Within seconds of his arrival, Rabani stabbed Mr Wardle fatally in he chest and he died at the scene in his front garden.
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The trio immediately fled, with Rabani, 19, and Battista, 18, both dumping their weapons as they went. However, they were later identified from CCTV footage and witnesses, including Mr Wardle's mother, Catherine, who he lived with.
In a statement read at a sentencing hearing, Mrs Wardle, who held her son as he died in their front garden, said he always brought love and laughter to the household and she would never forget the sight of "Natty" lying dead. She told how her son had a young mental age after suffering a brain injury in a motorbike accident as a child.
Mrs Wardle said: "Natty's death had a ripple affect, causing devastation throughout the whole family. I, myself, have not been sleeping soundly since it happened. In fact, I can't recall the last good night's sleep I had.
"I suffer from mood swings and struggle to concentrate. There are days that, if it wasn't for [her family], I would roll up and hide myself away. Before this, I would help at a market stall but, now, I can't face being out in public."
Mrs Wardle added: "What I have experienced in the last seven months, having to bury my son, is every mother's nightmare. Having my son die in my arms and standing their helplessly as paramedics worked on him is, without a doubt, the hardest thing I have ever experienced and I would not wish it on anyone."
Speaking of having to sit through Rabani's trial, Mrs Wardle said: "We sat every day and heard the details of the whole thing and endured those involved trying to justify their attendance and the role they played in Natty's death.
"I will never understand why people would come into someone's garden armed with knives and stab someone who was no real threat to them and meant them no real harm."
Sharon Beattie KC, prosecuting, previously told the court that, just after 2pm on June 20 last year, Mr Wardle, 43, left his home to go to a local shop. Some 15 minutes later he arrived back at his house and ended up being fatally wounded.
Prosecutors said the three teenagers were looking for a "straightener" with someone after a social media dispute and had "tooled-up" in order to scare or threaten that person. Mr Wardle was unarmed when he returned home and happened upon the teens.
Newcastle Crown Court was told that Rabani had two previous convictions for carrying knives from 2020 and 2021, with both offences involving the teen being stopped and searched in Newcastle City Centre and being found in possession of kitchen knives.
On both occasions, Rabani was given a referral order as he was a youth at the time. Mrs Beattie said: "An aggravating feature is the defendant's previous convictions involving the possession of knives, given the carrying of the knife here and in the index offence.
"Other aggravating factors are that, while it can't be said that the victim was targeted due to a physical or mental vulnerability, the victim did have a vulnerability, as set out in Mrs Wardle's statement. The offence also involved a weapon and others were put at risk of harm by the defendant."
The court heard that Rabani was remorseful for his actions and had experienced difficulties as a child, having grown up without a father figure. Robert Woodcock KC, defending, said, although he was 18 at the time, he was still "extremely" immature.
Mr Woodcock added: "It's going to be that the defendant grows up during the period of his, now lengthy, incarceration and grows up with the awareness that the defendant does have of the weaknesses that took him to where he's going to be and the weaknesses he knows he needs to work on in order to demonstrate to the authorities that he's safe to be released."
Mr Justice Andrew Baker said he had to accept that Rabani hadn't intended to kill Mr Wardle or cause him serious harm but that his blow with the knife had "tragically" been fatal. Jailing him for 11 years for manslaughter and 18 months for possession of the knife, the judge said: "The Wardle family life will never be the same again.
"Mr Wardle's death has had a ripple affect, causing devastation throughout the whole family and she [Mrs Wardle] describes, in painful terms, the way in which the happy Wardle family life has been fractured. No sentence I can pass can bring Mr Wardle back.
"No sentence can repair the damage done to the Wardles or take away the pain or grief of their loss. All the court can hope is that they and the public maybe able to feel a sense of justice and some measure of closure from the verdicts reached by the jury that you, Rabani, unlawfully killed Mr Wardle, so you are guilty of manslaughter."
Mr Justice Andrew Baker added: "In my judgement, this is clearly a case in which, due to the circumstances of the offending, your past record of offending and the concerning aspects of some of your attitudes, reported by the Probation Service, you do presently present a risk of the commission of, if you were at liberty, further specified offences that would cause serious physical or psychological harm to one or more people.
"You are, what we call, a dangerous offender. However, I'm further satisfied that the prospect of rehabilitation and the positive aspects of your character that do exist, and the degree in which you have begun to have an insight into your behaviour, your remorse at what happened, although they require significant further work, mean a life sentence isn't required."
Rabani must serve two thrids of the 11-year sentence and half of the 18-month sentence, meaning he will spend at least 8 years and one month behind bars.
The court heard that Battista had no past convictions, was remorseful and was capable of leading a normal and productive life in the future. Kate Barnes, defending, added: "He failed to think about the consequences of his actions on that day. Those are decisions he's had time to reflect upon. He is described as an articulate young man."
Battista was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, and must do 100 hours of unpaid work.
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