A teenager has been detained for life and will serve a minimum of 17 years for stabbing his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend to death in the street. Logan MacPhail, then aged 16, stalked Holly Newton for an hour through Hexham, Northumberland, before knifing her 36 times in an alleyway. Before handing down the sentence at Newcastle Crown Court, Mr Justice Hilliard said, "what happened in this case should not happen to any child or parent". Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00I have sought to balance all the factors of the case, those that make it more serious
00:05and those that mitigate the sentence I must pass. However, because it is such a serious case,
00:12personal circumstances cannot carry great weight, although they have more significance
00:18than they might have for an older person. But the stark facts are that you made the decision
00:26to stab a 15-year-old girl to death with a knife which you were carrying unlawfully in a public
00:32place, having followed her in secret around town for an hour. All because your relationship with
00:39her had ended and you were jealous at the thought that she might see someone else.
00:45What happened in this case should not happen to any child or parent, and no child or parent
00:52should be in fear that it might happen. Logan Macphail, for the murder of Holly Newton
00:59on 27 January 2023, the sentence is that you are to be detained at His Majesty's pleasure.
01:08That could not be for a period less than 17 years in total. Because you have already spent 641 days
01:16in custody, I have to deduct those days. And so the minimum term I now specify
01:24is one of 15 years and 89 days to run from today.