Three teenagers jailed for killing dog walker

John Hackett, 36, died after an attack in a park in Nuneaton in April 2023

Three teenagers who attacked and killed a dog walker in a park have been given custodial sentences ranging from nine months to one year.

A judge said the girl, now aged 16, who filmed the attack, and two boys, aged 16 and 15, had "mocked" John Hackett, 36, as he struggled to breathe after being punched, kicked and held in a headlock.

He was found dead in his home on Camp Hill Road in Nuneaton the next day after leaving hospital shortly before he was due to be treated.

The teenagers, who cannot be named due to their age, were originally charged with his murder but prosecutors accepted their guilty plea to manslaughter.

Warwick Crown Court was told the defendants subjected Mr Hackett to verbal abuse and bullying in the weeks before he suffered several broken ribs and a split to one of his kidneys in Nuneaton's Snow Hill Recreation Ground on 26 April.

Passing sentence on Thursday, Mr Justice Choudhury told the teenagers they had carried out a "grave attack" which resulted in death, albeit one which could have been avoided had medical treatment been obtained.

The girl could be seen smiling in the video, the judge said.

He said in the video Mr Hackett could "be heard gasping for breath. He was clearly begging to be left alone".

He added: "The attack lasted just 36 seconds but it must have seemed like an eternity to your victim."

The video footage, which was played to the court, showed Mr Hackett's body being lifted from the ground by the force of the first kick, inflicted by one of the boys.

Mr Hackett's mother, Christine Smith, sobbed in court as the video and other recordings of the previous harassment and the fatal attack were shown.

John Hackett was bullied by the trio in the weeks leading up to the attack

Mr Hackett and a member of the public called the police. Officers attended and spoke to the three attackers, who all claimed they were acting in self-defence.

The court was told officers went to Mr Hackett's house, where they found him in considerable distress and took him to hospital.

Two hours later he discharged himself from hospital and went home, but he collapsed the following morning and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

The male defendants were both sentenced to a two-year detention and training order, with a one-year custodial element followed by a year of supervision in the community.

The 16-year-old girl was sentenced to an 18-month detention and training order, comprising nine months in custody and a nine-month period of supervision.

'Mindless act of violence'

Mr Hackett’s family said they had been left devastated by his death.

"We have lost a much loved son, brother, nephew and cousin, taken from us because of a mindless act of violence," they said in a statement.

"There isn’t a day goes by without us thinking of John and what he went through," they added.

The family said they would never be able to forgive those involved.

"All we can hope for is that they spend their time in custody with remorse and regret and that one day they realise the extent of their actions."

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Ch Insp Collette O'Keefe from the Warwickshire Police Major Investigation Unit said: "The level of violence shown by these offenders was truly shocking and Mr Hackett must have been terrified throughout.

"These three young people may not have intended to kill Mr Hackett but that is ultimately what happened, and like Mr Hackett's family, they will live with the consequences of their actions for the rest of their lives."