A 14-year-old boy who boasted “I’ve wetted your boy” after stabbing a teenager has been convicted of murder and named after a judge ruled it was in the public interest and should act as a deterrent to young people carrying knives.
Leighton Amies knifed Tomasz Oleszak deep in his chest as he walked through a nature park in Gateshead last October.
The defendant had denied murder, claiming he did not know he had stabbed Tomasz and slashed another youth’s coat after being attacked by the group.
During the trial Amies could not be named by the media but Mr Justice Spencer, sitting at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday, lifted the reporting ban.
The judge said: “There is a public interest in trying to deflect young people from the carrying of knives, where when that happens, this kind of utterly tragic outcome can occur.”
Mr Justice Spencer added: “In my judgement, the public interest in reporting fully of these proceedings, including the identity of the defendant, in fact outweighs the interests of the defendant in having the anonymity of his identity maintained.”
His defence team had asked the judge to wait until he is sentenced in May before considering whether to lift the reporting restriction.
But the judge maintained the public had a right to know the full details of the case of a 14-year-old boy who was murdered in a park.
Once the defendant turned 18, the anonymity order would run out, and the judge said his sentence will take Amies beyond that birthday.
During the trial, jurors heard that the killer, then aged 14, was walking through Whitehills Nature Park with his girlfriend at around 8pm when a group of youths followed them.
He was carrying a serrated kitchen knife in his jacket pocket, which he had explained he picked up at home for “reassurance” and used it to slash Tomasz when he came under attack from a group.
Amies shouted to the gang “I’ve wetted your boy” after landing the fatal blow, the court heard.
Mark McKone KC, prosecuting, told jurors: “He wanted them to know he had stabbed one of their number.
“It was a boast.”
Peter Makepeace KC, defending, had told jurors Amies had not looked for trouble and asked the jury to put themselves in his situation: aged 14, attacked by a group, in the dark, not knowing if any of the gang were armed.
He said: “This is a 14-year-old under group attack and having to make terrible decisions under a moment’s notice.”
The jury also convicted Amies of a charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm on the boy whose coat was slashed.
The defendant had previously admitted carrying a blade.
The judge praised jurors for their dedication during the trial and acknowledged it had been an emotional experience, and offered to exempt them from jury service for five years.
