Jack Woodley: Gang of youths left teenager for dead

Jack Woodley was repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped upon before being stabbed

A gang of youths left their 18-year-old victim for dead after carrying out a "ferocious" attack, a court has heard.

Jack Woodley died from a stab wound after being attacked in Houghton-le-Spring in October.

A 15-year-old boy admits manslaughter but denies murder. Nine others on trial, all aged 14 to 18, deny both charges.

In their closing statements, prosecutors told Newcastle Crown Court the gang acted like a team.

Mark McKone QC said Mr Woodley was "attacked by a large group of youths who left him for dead in the street".

He said while Mr Woodley had been planning a trip to the Houghton Feast, the youths had been planning trouble at the final night of the annual funfair.

He said the group targeted "out of town" Mr Woodley for a "trivial" reason, then followed and attacked him outside the Britannia Inn in Houghton town centre.

Jack Woodley died in hospital a day after being attacked near the Britannia Inn in Houghton-le-Spring

Mr McKone said it was a "classic joint enterprise" case with the defendants encouraging each other during the "intense" and "ferocious attack".

He said: "Anyone attacked by a large group of fit, angry and enthusiastic youths is likely to be caused really serious harm.

"That would be obvious to anyone and even more obvious to anyone taking part."

Mr McKone said witnesses claimed Mr Woodley was hit up to 40 times and "kicked proper hard" in his face and all over his body.

As well as the fatal 2.7in (7cm) stab wound in his back, he also suffered two broken bones and bruises showing the tread of footwear.

He said one girl described the gang as "kicking him to death" while another said they "looked very angry" and like "they really wanted to hurt this boy".

A man said it was like an attack from a "herd of lions", which Mr McKone said created "images of David Attenborough television programmes which are difficult to watch, but this was an attack on a human being".

One of the 10 defendants admits stabbing Jack Woodley with a 9in (25cm) knife

He also said there were multiple people who shouted "get the chopper out" before the attack began and a number of the youths deliberately concealed their faces, which showed they "expected to be involved in a serious crime".

Mr McKone said the young age of the defendants was no excuse, adding: "It might be their immaturity made some show off or want to copy what others did so they could feel part of the group and not feel soft. It is not a defence."

He said the joint enterprise element may have carried on into the trial with the defendants "trying to cover up for each other".

The prosecutor said: "One unusual feature for defendants so young is how many of them claim memory problems."

He said the fact four of them declined to give evidence to jurors was telling, adding: "If the prosecution had made a dreadful mistake, the defendant would not just sit there in silence.

"They would have been screaming from the rooftops and telling you the prosecution have got this wrong.

"Just imagine being wrongly accused of the murder of an 18-year-old boy and turning down your chance to tell the jury and Jack's family you had not done it."

He said the defendants had several things in common, including that "not one of them tried to leave the scene when trouble started" and "not one tried to help Jack after he had been stabbed".

'Chilling'

The 15-year-old boy who admits manslaughter told jurors he had got his knife out to "scare people" and it "accidentally" struck Mr Woodley.

Mr McKone said that claim was "ludicrous" and the boy had been heard "bragging and boasting" about owning the knife earlier that day and had "stabbing people on his mind" and "saw stabbing people as a good thing".

He also said the boy fled the scene, changed his clothes, wiped down the knife and gave it to someone else to conceal which all showed he was "desperate indeed to get away with a very serious crime" and were not the actions of "someone who thought they had accidentally caused a minor wound".

The prosecutor said the boy had been "sinister, calculated and cold" and he had been "relaxed" the day after, eating pizza while Jack "was fighting for his life".

Mr McKone added the 16-year-old boy who started the attack by running up and punching Mr Woodley from behind "stands out in this case".

He said: "What is particularly chilling is [the boy] says he can't remember why he assaulted Jack.

"He didn't even know if there was any reason at all or if the attack was entirely random."

Mr McKone said the boy and the other nine defendants had "gone out looking for anyone who could be their victim at the last night of the feast", adding: "Out of town Jack was the one they picked on."

'Major player'

Two boys now aged 17 and 18 took part in the violence just 20 minutes after being shown the knife hidden down the 15-year-old's trousers, Mr McKone said.

He said both told the "biggest lie" to police by saying they did not know there was a knife and "massively played down the violence" they used.

Both, Mr McKone said, claimed they "did a little bit when in fact [they] did a lot".

A boy who was 15 at the time admitted having a knuckle-duster but said he had only taken it to the fair for "protection" as there would often be trouble.

The boy claimed he had been friendly with Mr Woodley and played no part in the attack, but Mr McKone said he was "a major player if not the major player" in the violence with his name mentioned by witnesses "as much as anyone's if not more".

'Peacemaker with knuckle-duster'

As well as being one of the group initially "hassling" Mr Woodley before going on to kick and hit him with the knuckle-duster, the boy was also heard shouting "get the chopper out", Mr McKone said.

He said trying to think of the boy as the "peacemaker with a knuckle duster" was "absurd", adding: "The evidence is clear [the boy] played a massive part in the joint attack and intended to cause really serious harm or worse to young Jack."

Mr McKone said the knuckle-duster, which the boy said he thought was "cool" and which he disposed of after the attack, was "one of the most sinister weapons for someone to own".

The prosecutor said: "At least a knife has legitimate uses as well, a knuckle-duster is made solely for the purpose of serious criminal violence and the causing of injuries."

A 14-year-old defendant told police he tried to stamp on Mr Woodley but missed, the court heard.

Mr McKone said the boy had downplayed his role but regardless of whether he actually connected with Mr Woodley or not, the intention to stamp on him while others were also attacking should make him guilty of murder.

'Important role'

Another boy who was 14 at the time and a trained boxer took part "throughout" the attack, "finishing" with a punch thrown with "10 out of 10" force which knocked Mr Woodley, who had already taken a "severe beating", to the ground, enabling others to continue kicking him, the court heard.

Mr McKone said after the attack the boy "carried on his night without a care in the world".

Another 15-year-old boy was seen on video footage approaching the melee with his hood up, Mr McKone said, but he had given no "innocent explanation" as to what he was doing.

He said the boy, who did not give evidence to court, may claim he was trying to be a "peacemaker" but Mr McKone said none of the witnesses had reported seeing any of the defendants trying to stop the attack or help Mr Woodley.

A 16-year-old defendant claimed he grabbed Mr Woodley in a bid to pull him to safety, but Mr McKone said if the boy had really been trying to help he would have pulled his friends away rather than the victim.

The youth who admitted manslaughter said he saw the boy holding Mr Woodley at the time of the stabbing, a "particularly important role", Mr McKone said.

'Crocodile tears'

The prosecutor said the boy also claimed there was an "innocent reason" for having his hood up, namely he "had anxiety" about how his hair looked.

The final defendant, aged 17 at the time of the attack, also had no "innocent explanation" for why he pulled a hat down over his face and was caught on video moving into the melee.

Mr McKone said the boy and his father lied to the police about his being at the scene or owning the clothes caught on camera, adding: "They said everything they could to distance him from the incident."

The prosecutor said the boy started "sobbing" and said they were either "crocodile tears to make his lies sound more convincing" or "genuine" because he "knew what he had done and the police had CCTV to catch him out".

Mr McKone said whatever actual violence the boy used, his going into the melee "increased the number who were hostile" to Mr Woodley and the other attackers "would have had more confidence" knowing it was "10 on one".

The trial continues.