Nine of the ten teenagers that were found guilty of murdering 18-year-old Jack Woodley have lodged appeals to their convictions.
The group of teens were convicted after Mr Woodley was cajoled, surrounded, and ultimately attacked, with punches and kicks raining in on him before being stabbed twice by a Rambo-syle 25cm knife in Houghton-le-Spring in October 2021.
Mr Woodley died in hospital the following night from injuries suffered in the attack, principally the two stab wounds inflicted by a 15-year-old defendant.
Read more: Jack Woodley: Killers should be jailed for at least 12 years
Ten youths, aged 14 to 18, were convicted in June this year after a trial at Newcastle Crown Court – where the trial heard that witnesses had seen the group attacking Mr Woodley "like zombies attacking an animal".
One 15-year-old admitted delivering the fatal knife blow, but the jury found all ten guilty of murder.
Despite being told on Monday (August 1) by prosecutors in the case that they could face a minimum of 12 years behind bars for the murder, it has been revealed that nine of the ten teenagers are bidding to get their convictions overturned.
A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “We can confirm that we have now received notices to appeal against conviction from nine of the 10 defendants found guilty in this case.”
The teen killers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are set to learn how long they will spend behind bars when they are sentenced on Friday (August 5).
Mark McKone, prosecuting, said on Monday that the defendants were aged between 14 and 17 at the time, although two have since turned 18.
“All were aged under 18 at the time and so sentence must be detention at Her Majesty’s pleasure.
“We submit the starting point for all is 12 years.”
But he said the use of a knife and the links to the knife might be, “an important consideration” in deciding the exact sentence appropriate for each defendant.
During the pre-sentencing hearing on Monday,moving victim personal statements were also read to the court by Mr Woodley’s parents, mother Zoey McGill and father John Woodley.
Mrs McGill described her son as, “our cheeky blue-eyed boy.”
“Jack was my reason to live and succeed in life. He brought life and love to us all.”
She said after a “difficult couple of years” in his younger teens, her son had, “really changed his life around”.
Mrs McGill said her son, born in Newton Aycliffe, had just received the keys to a new home on the day of the fatal attack and had been due to start work as a forklift truck driver with Amazon on the following Monday.
She said his death has, “ruined our lives”, as: “Life won’t ever be the same without Jack.”
Mrs McGill said “It’s had a devastating effect on us all.
Read next:
- Jack Woodley: Killers should be jailed for at least 12 years
- Jack Woodley trial: This is when 10 teens will be sentenced in Newcastle
- Jack Woodley trial: Mum of Aycliffe teen speaks out as 10 found guilty of murder
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