Appeal hearings are scheduled to take place for nine of the ten juveniles who were convicted guilty of murdering Jack Woodley. After being encircled and assaulted by a group of teenage thugs in Houghton-le-Spring in October, 18-year-old Jack Woodley received a stab wound to the back from a knife that was designed in the “Rambo” style. The sad incident occurred while Woodley was walking home after a fair or carnival. According to the Daily Mail, the youngsters allegedly murdered the adult “solely for excitement and pleasure” in order to get away with their crime.
The ten juveniles, ranging in age from 14 to 18, were found guilty in June following a lengthy trial that took place at the Newcastle Crown Court. During the trial, witnesses said that Jack was “isolated” by a group of people who were “like zombies assaulting an animal.” Even though one of the juveniles, who was only 15 years old at the time, acknowledged to administering the deadly blow with the knife, the jury nonetheless convicted all 10 of them guilty of murder. Woodley was scheduled to start a new job the Monday following he was attacked, and he was on his way to pick up keys for a new apartment, but on October 16, he was punched, kicked, stamped on, and stabbed. Woodley was also on his way to pick up keys for a new apartment.
According to the prosecution, the group “went out looking for severe trouble that day” and attempted to “create friction” with Woodley when they were at the festival. Additionally, the group “sought for any pretext to attack someone,” the prosecutors stated. According to BBC, Woodley declined their challenge to fight him, but they followed him out of the fair together with approximately 30 to 40 other young people. A boy of 16 years old ran up to Woodley and hit him from behind as Woodley was getting closer to the Britannia Inn. This caused a commotion, which was followed by a boy of 15 years old stabbing Woodley mortally in the back. According to Judge Rodney Jameson QC, everyone of the youths, none of whom can be recognised, was culpable for the killing of Woodley, but the extent of their involvement varied.
Although he claimed that not all of the adolescents “wanted to kill,” he stated that any of the young people might have avoided participating in the assault; instead, “mob mentality took over,” and as a result, Jack was killed. After saying that “he must have had high aspirations for the future and had much to look forward to,” he continued by saying that “none of those hopes will now be fulfilled.” He stated that some young people saw the feast as a “opportunity” to fight over “trivial rivalries” between neighbouring settlements, and that Woodley was targeted by the attacks because they considered him to be a “townie.”
The judge commented on this while handing down their sentences “There is no punishment that can bring Jack back to his family and loved ones, nor can it ease the suffering that they will feel now and in the years to come. It can appear unfair that you and your friends will have the opportunity to live freely while you are still young, while Jack will not be able to do so as a direct result of your actions.” According to ChronicleLive, the trial was one of the first times in which as many as ten defendants were found guilty of one murder at the same time. This is thought to have been a first. “You came to the conclusion that it was more important to look out for yourself and the other defendants than it was to protect Jack and his family. You made every effort to prevent justice from being served to them. I have no doubt that you feel sorrow about what took place due to a variety of factors; nonetheless, regret is not the same thing as remorse “followed by the judge.
The juvenile offender, who was only 15 years old at the time of the incident yet was found in possession of a blade, faces a minimum sentence of 17 years in prison for his involvement. The perpetrator of the incident, a 16-year-old boy, must serve a minimum of 13 years and six months in prison. A 17-year-old youth who was a part of the group that went with the youngster to retrieve his knife soon before the attack will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison for his involvement in the incident. The court stated that the defendant’s youth and low IQ meant that he was “not as much to fault as most of the others in the dock.” The youngest defendant, who was 14 at the time and is now 15, is scheduled to serve eight years as a result of the judge’s statement. A 15-year-old who was just 14 at the time of the attack and who shouted “get the chopper out” while exchanging friendly “fist bumps” with the victim before the attack will be sentenced to a minimum of 13 years in prison. An 18-year-old man who was only 17 years old at the time of the incident and about whom the judge commented that it was a “crying shame” that he had gotten “caught up” in the trouble after overcoming a low IQ and ADHD to get a job at which he was highly regarded must serve at least 11 years in prison. Although the youth was not named by any witnesses and did not give any account to police or the court, he will serve at least 11 years in prison because the judge said he was seen for a couple of seconds on mobile phone footage moving towards the brawl with his head concealed by a hood or balaclava. The judge said this despite the fact that the youth was only 15 at the time of the incident. The judge stated that the juvenile, who is now 15 years old but was only 14 at the time of the offence, was a “fighter” with a history of violent behaviour but a low IQ, which meant that he was “easily led.” The juvenile will serve at least ten years in prison. A young man who was only 17 years old at the time of the crime and who was also a member of the group that obtained the knife was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison since the judge did not consider him to be “especially brilliant” or “an evident leader.” A 16-year-old man who was only 15 at the time of the incident and who told the court that he had grappled Woodley but that he had not realised it was the victim and that he was trying to stop the attack must serve at least 11 years in prison. He told the court that he told the court that he had grappled Woodley. The entire amount of time that each defendant must serve as a minimum sentence amounts to 124 years and six months.
Jack Woodley is survived by his stepfather Chris McGill, his biological father John Woodley, his stepmother Zoey McGill, and his three younger brothers, Jayden, Jenson, and Tyler. The entirety of the family, according to Zoey, will “forever be plagued with how awful Jack’s injuries were.”