Three teenagers guilty of man's murder

Leandro Lopes and two other teenagers were found guilty of murdering Gary Belfield

Three teenagers have been found guilty of murdering a man who was stabbed to death.

Gary Belfield, 40, from the Manchester area, was found at a property on Elliott Drive in Felling, Gateshead, on 27 April.

Leandro Lopes, 18, of Byker, Newcastle, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court alongside a boy, 17, and a 15-year-old girl, where they were also found guilty of the attempted murder of a man in his 20s.

All three have been remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced in January.

Northumbria Police said Lopes, of Archer Street, and the two teenagers travelled to Elliott Drive to settle "a pre-existing dispute".

Lopes and the teenage boy entered the property and stabbed both men multiple times, with Mr Belfield sustaining 11 separate injuries in the attack.

When emergency services arrived shortly after 21:10 BST they found Mr Belfield, who died at the scene.

The second man, who was seriously injured, managed to escape and raise the alarm at a nearby garage. He has since made a full recovery.

Gary Belfield was described as "caring and friendly" by his family

Following a four-week trial, a jury found the three defendants guilty of all charges.

The 15-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy cannot be named because of their age.

Det Insp Chris Deavin, from Northumbria Police, said the case was the "latest example of how violence destroys so many lives".

"Gary is no longer with us because of the decision to carry weapons that night, and the pain of that tragedy will never leave his loved ones," he added.

In a tribute released at the time of Mr Belfield's death, his family described him as "a caring friendly person" who was popular in his hometown.

They added: "He never looked for or got into trouble."