Image source, Family handout

When determining the sentence, Mr Justice Hilliard took into account what was said in mitigation for MacPhail, so it's worth looking back at what was said on his behalf.

The teenager's legal team had argued any premeditation or planning was "limited" with his barrister Nigel Edwards KC saying the attack was a "spontaneous eruption" of violence in a "fast-moving" situation.

He said MacPhail became "angry and lashed out" but he had been speaking to Holly for about 15 minutes before he actually attacked her.

Mr Edwards also said MacPhail only intended to cause "bodily harm" rather than kill Holly.

He said the teenager had had an "unconscionable" childhood with years of abuse, which was a "significant" mitigating factor, but it did not excuse his actions.

Mr Edwards said MacPhail described himself as a "monster" who "no-one could love".

Mr Justice Hilliard gave very full and detailed sentencing remarks outlining the background of the case and the factors he felt were important when deciding what Logan MacPhail's minimum term of detention should be.

Here were some of the key lines:

• MacPhail was "filled with resentment and jealousy" after Holly ended their relationship
• The relationship was especially important to MacPhail as he had a chaotic home life and struggled to make friends
• MacPhail took the knife with him to "pressure" Holly into resuming relations by threatening to harm himself with it if she did not take him back
• Having realised it was definitely over, MacPhail lured her into the alley with the express of purpose of killing Holly
• Holly was a "child" who must have realised she was "fighting for her life"

Image source, Northumbria Police

The hearing at Newcastle Crown Court has now ended with Mr Justice Hilliard thanking both legal teams for their work.

The judge left the room for several minutes before returning to briefly discuss a legal matter with counsel.

He took about 40 minutes to deliver his sentencing remarks, with the actual sentence coming quite quickly at the end.

Mr Justice Hilliard has now gone again and court has dispersed.

We will aim to bring you reaction to the sentencing of Logan MacPhail as soon as we have it.

Image source, Family handout

If you are just joining us, here is a quick recap of the case.

• Holly Newton, 15, was repeatedly stabbed in an alleyway in Hexham at about 17:00 GMT on 27 January 2023 by her ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail, then aged 16.
• He had admitted manslaughter but was found guilty by jurors of murdering Holly and intentionally wounding another youth who tried to stop the attack.
• MacPhail stalked Holly and her friends through Hexham for almost an hour before confronting her when she was alone and luring her into the alley.
• He has been sentenced to life detention with a minimum of 17 years, with judge Mr Justice Hilliard saying it was a "vicious and brutal" killing with MacPhail "filled with resentment and jealousy" after Holly ended their 18-month relationship.

There was little audible reaction as the sentence was delivered with MacPhail immediately escorted out of the dock.

The judge also quickly rose but is due to return shortly to discuss another legal matter relating to the case.

Logan MacPhail has been sentenced to life detention with a minimum of 17 years for the murder of Holly Newton.

He was also detained for five years to run concurrently for wounding with intent the other boy.

The judge says he believes doctors who assessed MacPhail "undervalued" his "ability to function in life".

He says it was initially argued by defence experts that MacPhail was unfit to stand trial but that was "not right".

He says MacPhail also "deliberately understated" his "understanding" of the trial process.

He says McPhail's diagnosis with autism spectrum disorder was at the "mild" end and his "low measured IQ really had no material part to play in what happened".

The judge also says MacPhail was "well able to understand" the effect of his behaviour on people, adding his actions "went so far beyond a case of bad judgement, poor choices or limited understanding".

Mr Justice Hilliard says there should be a starting point of 15 to 17 years minimum detention.

He says the fact the "motivation was resentment towards Holly and jealousy also makes the case more serious".

He tells MacPhail: "Holly was a child, she was no match for you armed with a knife.

"She must have realised before she died, I'm afraid, that she was fighting for her life."

The judge says he "cannot be sure" MacPhail took the knife with him that day intending to use it on Holly.

He says given MacPhail's previous threats he would cut himself if she broke up with him, he had it with him so "if she did not wish to resume the relationship" he could produce the weapon to threaten to actually harm himself.

The judge says it was "all to put pressure on her to take up with you again" and MacPhail wanted to "frighten and distress" Holly.

But he attacked her with it after it became apparent she was adamant it was over.

The judge says McPhail had also been told by multiple people he should "leave Holly alone".

Mr Justice Hilliard says McPhail wanted to attack Holly because he finally realised she was serious about their relationship being over.

He says MacPhail lured Holly into the alley with the specific aim of attacking her where other people could not intervene.

"You were filled with resentment and jealousy but still able to calculate where best to attack her and able to wait until you got that opportunity," the judge says.

The judge says the attack in the alleyway was "vicious and brutal", inflicting 12 stab wounds, five defence type injuries to her hands and 19 other sharp force injuries and "unsurvivable blood loss".

He said the force used was so severe the knife broke and stabbings to her head were a "terrible thing to do" with Holly's mother stopped from seeing her due to the "horrifying condition she was in".

The judge says he is "sure" MacPhail intended to kill Holly and "knew how final death was", dismissing claims made on his behalf that he did not really understand what death would mean.

He praised those who intervened and tried to support Holly who behaved in a "exemplary way and deserve public commendation".

The judge says MacPhail lied and made excuses to try and see Holly.

He went to her home in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, on 26 January on the pretext of getting a games console which the judge said he was sure was an "excuse" to see her and try hopefully to resume their relationship.

On the morning of 27 January MacPhail messaged a friend of Holly's saying he planned to see her after school that day but was told that was "not a good idea".

"I'm sure you knew Holly did not want to see you," the judge says.

Mr Justice Hilliard tells MacPhail no sentence can make right what he did or put a value on Holly's life which was "beyond measure".

He says McPhail was "obsessed" with Holly, who was a "beautiful child" who grew into a "happy and funny teenager who would do anything for anyone".

The judge says Holly "loved" all types of sport and was a keen dancer from a young age, adding she was a "quiet student at school who never had a bad report".

Holly had a "small and tight-knit group of friends", was "passionate" about her family and had a cat which she loved, the judge says.

She had "all those years ahead" which she and her family would now never see, the judge adds.

Proceedings have begun with a victim statement read by the youth who was stabbed in the thigh, neck and shoulder while trying to stop the attack

His identity cannot be revealed, but he said the attack had a major impact on his life.

He said he suffered nightmares, had mental health issues and had lost out on a plumbing apprenticeship because of the injuries he suffered to his shoulder, which would also affect his future job prospects.

The youth said he "struggled" with his GCSEs and he did not want to go out as much, never wanting to return to Hexham.

"What happened to me I wouldn't wish on anyone and I can't imagine what Holly's family are going through now," the boy said.

Mr Justice Hilliard said the youth could have been killed and he showed "remarkable bravery".

Judge Mr Justice Hilliard has now entered the courtroom.

The hearing begins with MacPhail's legal team asking if proceedings can go slowly with breaks if necessary.

The judge says allowances will be made but there is a lot to get through.

Image source, Family handout

Yesterday, Holly Newton's mother Micala Trussler gave a very moving and powerful victim impact statement at Newcastle Crown Court.

She detailed the pain caused by her daughter's murder and how the family was struggling to cope in the aftermath.

She also said Holly's death should act as a warning to other young people about the dangers of abusive relationships and the need for better education.

You can read her full statement here.

Image source, Northumbria Police

Having been found guilty of murder, Logan MacPhail will be given a mandatory life sentence today.

The question is how long will he have to serve in detention before he is eligible to be considered for release, what's known as the minimum term.

Yesterday, lawyers for the prosecution and defence laid out the aggravating and mitigating factors they said Judge Mr Justice Hilliard should consider when deciding the sentence.

The issues revolved around the degree of planning and premeditation, amount of mental and physical suffering inflicted on Holly and MacPhail's motivation for having a knife, the court heard.

"This was a brutal attack," Prosecutor David Brooke KC said, adding it had lasted more than a minute and there had been more than 20 blows causing 36 knife wounds, which "spoke to the intensity of intention".

He said it would be a 10-year starting point if MacPhail's claim, that he had only taken the knife to harm himself, was accepted, but 17 years - 25 years for an adult - if it was determined he took the weapon with the intention of using it to cause "at least really serious harm".

Today's hearing is being held in Courtroom One at Newcastle Crown Court.

Barristers, members of the media and the public have started to arrive and fill the seats.

Mr Justice Hilliard is a High Court judge who presided over the trial in July and August and all the hearings leading up to it, including discussions about whether MacPhail was fit to stand trial in the first place.

Proceedings here are due to begin at 10:15 GMT and we will bring you live updates throughout.

For the majority of his trial, MacPhail appeared at court remotely via video link from the secure unit he was being held at in County Durham.

He gave evidence over the course of several days, the court taking regular breaks to give him a chance to rest and refocus.

He wore a smart suit and was softly spoken, his answers mumbled and needing to be, in effect, translated by the intermediary who sat beside him throughout.

MacPhail was repeatedly asked if he understood the questions being put to him, and would take long pauses before answering some.

Image source, Family handout

MacPhail was 16 when he killed Holly, his on-off girlfriend of 18 months.

The couple met at an army cadet Christmas party in Consett and he admitted in court the relationship could be abusive.

It was at cadets he learned skills for secretly tracking people, skills he put into effect on 27 January when, dressed all in black with a black face mask and baseball cap, he stalked Holly through Hexham for about 45 minutes.

Holly feared he would come to her school to see her, telling her friends MacPhail was “basically stalking” her, but he lied and in messages said he was in Newcastle.

Actually, he had left his school in Gateshead at lunchtime and got the bus to Hexham, where he waited for Holly before following and killing her.

He claimed he was “blank” at the time of the attack and only intended to harm himself, but jurors did not believe him.

MacPhail from Birtley, Gateshead, said he loved animals and had a tough home life, having been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and had ambitions to be a soldier.