Gateshead: Boy, 14, held in murder probe into teenager's death

Police have cordoned off land in the Aycliffe Crescent area of Gateshead

A 14-year-old boy has died following a stabbing in Gateshead.

The teenager, who has not been named, was seriously injured in the Aycliffe Crescent area of the Springwell Estate at about 20:00 BST on Monday.

Another 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a girl, 13, has been detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The injured boy was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of Tuesday, Northumbria Police said.

Officers from Northumbria Police have been searching scrubland at the scene this morning

Ch Supt Helena Barron said: "A teenage boy has sadly died and his family have been left devastated beyond belief.

"Our thoughts are very much with his loved ones at this time and we are supporting them in every way we can.

"We are determined to find out exactly what happened and a full investigation is ongoing into the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident."

Police are now carrying out "extensive inquiries" at Whitehills Nature Park

She asked the public not to speculate online about what had happened, adding: "What might seem like an innocent post on social media could in reality disrupt an ongoing investigation and cause further upset to the family of the victim."

At a news conference on Tuesday evening, Ch Supt Barron was asked about the circumstances of the attack, if a knife had been found or if more arrests were likely to follow but said she could not disclose any further details as the investigation was in its "very early stages".

The boy and girl who were arrested remain in police custody.

At the scene:

Alasdair Gill, BBC Look North

A huge sliver of White Hills Nature Park in Gateshead is cordoned off by police tape. In the south-west corner, dozens of specialist officers are carrying out painstaking searches of the vegetation. Police dogs are assisting with the search too, running back and forth between the tape.

Through the cordons, to the south of the park, is Aycliffe Crescent where a single bunch of flowers, bearing a boy's name, is fixed to a fence.

There's a huge police presence here too with officers going door to door making inquiries. There are also officers on horseback going around the whole Springwell Estate as Northumbria Police moves to reassure residents.

Some of the people here are extremely upset. One woman, whose grandson was friends with the dead boy, begins to cry when talking about what's happened. She is upset, but there is also a lot of anger that someone so young should lose their life like this.

One resident on the street, who asked not to be named, said: "We saw the lads running around screaming and shouting at about 8pm - it was about four lads that ran past.

"My partner was out having a cigarette and she rang an ambulance for the victim and waited with him until they came."

There is a heavy police presence in the area

Another neighbour, Ella, who only wished to give her first name, said: "I heard someone screaming when I was putting my daughter to bed, then when I was putting something in the bin about 10 minutes later I saw all the police cars.

"I spoke to my neighbour across the road to ask if everything was OK and she told me her son's friend had been stabbed and police were trying to revive him. She was crying, she was absolutely devastated.

"She said they went to school together and he was a good kid."

Flowers have been left near the scene

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness described the boys death as "devastating".

She said: "My thoughts are with the victim's family who will be experiencing unimaginable pain.

"This should never have happened and it now sits with our police to carry out extensive inquiries to establish the full circumstances that have led to the senseless loss of a young life."