Reece Tansey: Two boys guilty of 15-year-old's stab killing in Bolton

Reece Tansey's death was described as "senseless" by his family

Two teenage boys have been found guilty of the stabbing to death of 15-year-old Reece Tansey.

Reece was killed when he got involved in a dispute between his friend and the two boys in Bolton in May.

Boy A, who was 15 at the time of the attack and cannot be named because of his age, was found guilty of murder by jurors at Manchester Crown Court.

Boy B, aged 15, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Both boys had denied murder.

They are due to be sentenced on 20 December.

Reece's parents described him as "their world" and of being "devastated beyond belief by his death", in a statement released after sentencing.

During the trial, jurors heard Reece had left his house in the early hours of 4 May, after a fight had been arranged over social media between himself and the two defendants.

After meeting up with them on Walker Avenue, an altercation began and Reece was stabbed by one boy six times with a kitchen knife, as the the other boy watched.

Following the attack, the defendants ran off and Reece was left severely injured in the street, where he was helped by local residents, but died.

After lengthy deliberations, the jury found Boy A, now aged 16, guilty of murder by a majority of 10-2.

Boy B was found guilty of manslaughter on a majority vote.

'Senselessness'

In their statement, Reece's parents said their lives would never be the same again after the loss of their eldest son.

"Reece had his whole life ahead of him, he had so much to look forward to, so many memories to make," they said.

"On that day, not only was Reece's life taken, but so was ours, the news that Reece had been killed simply drained the life from us and we will never be the same again.

"We will never come to terms with the senselessness of it all. The pain is almost physical."

Det Insp Nicola McCulloch of Greater Manchester said: "This was a truly horrific attack by two teenage boys whose heinous actions mean that Reece's family's lives will now never be the same and my thoughts are very much with them today.

"This incident should be a stark reminder to all those who carry knives that your actions can destroy lives and GMP will not tolerate knife crime," she added.

"If you use a knife as a weapon you will face the consequences."

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