Three teens involved in a violent attack on a 14-year-old “hunted him down like a pack of feral animals”, a court has heard.
Three teenagers, two now aged 17 and one aged 16, were all involved in a chase on Princess Avenue, St Helens, which ended in the stabbing of a 14-year-old victim. A court heard that the victim was spoken to by police whilst he was recovering from his injuries following the attack.
Andrew Jebb, prosecuting, told the court that on January 19, 2021, the victim was asked by a friend to go and watch a pre-arranged fight, so he and his friends went to the agreed location. The victim was travelling on his mountain bike, and recalled that the weather was extremely bad and it was pitch black at the location.
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After their arrival, he heard someone say that a large group was coming so he and his friends ran off. The victim and his friends had almost got away from the other group, in which Boy A, then 15, Boy B, also 15, and Boy C, 14, were a part of.
The victim was left behind as his mountain bike "kept getting stuck in the mud" and as he lagged behind, he was hit over the back of his head with something hard which knocked him off his bike. It could not be determined who issued this first blow, but after getting back up, the boy began to run away.
Mr Jebb said the victim knew he was being pursued by a group as he ran, and he believed the reason the group chose to follow him is because he was "the slowest". Footage was shown in court by the prosecution, which showed the group near the victim, and the reflection of a blade as it caught the light on camera.
The victim then turned left and the group can be seen stopping, and seemingly “very quickly” making a decision to continue the pursuit. The attacking group of youths used the victim’s own mountain bike to continue the chase.
The group were shouting after the victim, and Boy A told the victim “if you stop running we won’t stab you”. Mr Jebb explained that the victim had to stop running because he was tired, and at this point Boy A stopped him and asked him to empty his pockets.
He was then attacked by Boy A, and Mr Jebb said the victim felt himself being punched but did not initially realise he had actually been stabbed. The 14-year-old was stabbed twice to his left thigh with a small blade, and immediately started running away again after the attack.
Only then could he feel his left leg was hurting as he ran. The victim was chased again, and was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver twice after being caught again, but not by any of these three boys.
Another member of the group then threw the victim's own mountain bike at him. A member of the public who had been out on a run saw a group of youths who, he thought, were arguing over a mountain bike, but then heard one of them shout “I’ve been stabbed”.
The good Samaritan ran over and helped the injured boy, and other neighbours also tried to give him first aid. An ambulance was called and the victim was taken to Alder Hey children’s hospital where he was seen at around 8pm.
Mr Jebb told the court the victim suffered two lacerations to the left mid-thigh in the first attack. One was 7 cm and another 8 cm, and both sliced down into the thigh, which required surgery under general anaesthetic.
The three boys were interviewed on January 20, Boy A and B gave no comment interviews, but Boy C admitted to being with the group but said he left before any attacks took place. Boy A then had his phone seized by police, and various Snapchat conversations were found discussing the attack both before and after.
The assault took place between the 6.30-7pm, and around thirty minutes after, messages from Boy A showed him boasting about “only getting one of them”.
He instructed the others involved in the conversation to make sure their Snapchat notifications were set to automatically delete any messages. One person wrote “you know we have f**ked it don't you?” and “we aren’t getting away with it”, to which another person responded “we will only get GBH”, “f**k the busy’s” and “we will probably only do 4 months”.
In a victim personal statement read out by Mr Jebb, it was detailed how the victim has suffered severe psychological issues since the attack, and has had to have two separate courses of counselling.
The victim said he does not go out with friends anymore, and “the worry will never go away”, and he feels he will never get closure from the attack. It read: “I had to learn to walk again which was really traumatic and difficult for me.
“It was hard for my family to see me go through this.” He detailed how his mother had to be with him constantly in the immediate aftermath of the assault, and how it has impacted every single part of his life.
The victim also does not feel comfortable wearing shorts anymore, and he used to do some modelling but felt he could no longer do so because of the scars. He also said he was scared of putting himself in the public eye because of the injuries.
Jo Maxwell, defending Boy A, said he has "made great strides forward" and "exceptional progress". She said: "This is the first time in his young life that he has realised the consequences of his actions.
"He wishes to change his life for the better." A letter written by Boy A which was read by Ms Maxwell stated he regretted his actions and wished he could take them back.
It read: “I want to carry on making the right choices”.
Lloyd Morgan, defending Boy B, said he "understands and regrets" his role and has made very good progress since the attack. He said the four months spent in remand has had a "marked affect".
In sentencing, His Honour Judge Garrett Byrne addressed the three teens.
He said: “Each of you hunted him down like a pack of feral animals. There is a lasting psychological impact to him.
“It is very lucky that this case is not a murder case, given the location of the injuries to the femoral artery.”
Addressing Boy A, Judge Byrne said: “You caused serious injuries to someone who you did not know, and you had no reason to do what you did to him.
“You then tried to hide evidence by telling the others to make sure they set their messages to delete.”
He said Boy A played a leading role in the attack, and there was an element of planning involved as he came to the scene with a knife. Judge Byrne also completely rejected claims by the now 17 year old that he had been “battered” and chased by the victim.
All three teens were charged with wounding with intent, and were sentenced on Friday at Liverpool Crown Court. Boy A was sentenced to 30 months detention, but the time he has spent on remand and on a qualifying curfew was deducted, meaning he was given 20 months detention in total.
Boy B who was involved in the chase but did not directly stab the victim, was handed a youth rehabilitation order for 12 months, including a 12 month supervision requirement, and instruction to attend an 8 day knife crime awareness program. No further punitive elements were ordered as he has been under curfew for the last 13 months.
Boy C was also sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order, with 18 months supervision, and requirements for six months of drug treatment and three months of drug testing. He also must give the court progress reports every three months.
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