The mother of a teenager convicted of murdering Jack Woodley has told how she could not look at her son when he was first arrested, but now insists he is no killer.

She told the Northern Echo how police stormed into her house at 2am and hauled the 17-year-old out of bed in his boxer shorts.

He had come home from the Houghton Feast at 10am and went straight upstairs, failing to mention the brutal gang attack that would prove fatal.

Read more: Vigil held at Britannia Inn a year after attack

Jack, 18, from Newton Aycliffe, was punched, kicked and stamped on by ten youths aged 14 to 17 before he was stabbed in the back with ‘Rambo-style’ knife on October 16 last year.

Read more: What judge said about the boy convicted of murder who claims he is no killer

The woman, who we are calling 'Emma' as a court order prevents the identification of her son, said she had no idea what was happening when officers arrived at the family home.

The Northern Echo: 'Emma' said police arrived unannounced at her family home'Emma' said police arrived unannounced at her family home (Image: PA)

She said: “There were loads of them. They asked if he was in and I told them he was in bed. They said they were going to have to get him.

“I did not have time to do anything. They went up and dragged him out of bed and arrested him in his boxer shorts.

“I was screaming at them and saying ‘you are not taking him with no clothes on’.

“I was saying: ‘he is a bairn’.”

The Northern Echo: 'Emma' said police got her 17-year-old son out of bed to arrest him hours after the attack'Emma' said police got her 17-year-old son out of bed to arrest him hours after the attack (Image: 'Emma' said police got her 17-year-old son out of bed to arrest him hours after the attack)

Billy, which is not his real name, was arrested on suspicion of wounding and Emma said her family had to leave their home for two days while officers looked for evidence.

She said: “They took us all out of the house and told us we had to go and not come back.

“We had to go to my mam’s for two days while the house was ransacked. We did not have a knife left in the house.

“They just said they were arresting him because there had been an altercation in Houghton and it was serious.”

Read more: Early prevention key to tackle knife crime

Jack was taken to the RVI in Newcastle and died from a stab wound the following day.

The Northern Echo: Jack Woodley died from his injuries Jack Woodley died from his injuries (Image: Jack Woodley, 18, died from a stab wound)

The young suspects were rearrested on suspicion of murder after police upgraded their investigation.

Emma said: “I found out what it was about and I would not go to see him because I thought he had done it.

“I thought he had stabbed someone because I thought you can’t arrest someone on a murder charge unless they had stabbed somebody.

“It was because they had taken every knife out of the house, and he had been arrested for murder so I thought that he must have stabbed somebody.

“They must have grounds. At the time I thought if he has done that then that is me finished.

“I did not go to the police station at all while he was being held. I just had a proper meltdown. I could not deal with it at all. I asked my sister to go.

“I just thought: ‘he can go and rot’.

“The whole family were devastated at the fact that someone and had died and we were gutted at the fact I thought my son has stabbed him.”

The Northern Echo: 'Emma' said the murder conviction against her son has changed her life'Emma' said the murder conviction against her son has changed her life (Image: 'Emma' said the murder conviction against her son has changed her life)

The fatal knife wound was inflicted by a 15-year-old but the jury in the subsequent trial was told how Billy punched Jack as he was held by the 16-year-old who started the fight and knew there was a knife.

He then followed him into an alley near the Britannia Inn on Newbottle Street and continued to punch and kick as others joined in.

Billy was taken to Wetherby YOI after his arrest and stayed there until February when he was released wearing an electronic tag.

He lived in a supervised safe house in the region during the trial, which ran from March until the end of May, and resulted in the conviction of all ten defendants for murder.

They were all jailed for life with varying minimum terms - Billy’s is 15 years - but nine defendants, including Billy, are now appealing against the conviction. 

Emma, a shop worker, said she has been unable to return to work since the incident happened last October and is being treated for depression.

She said: “I know it has ruined Jack’s family’s lives, which was my main concern at the beginning of it. 

“It has ruined my life in so many ways too. I have been getting grief, threats, death threats. It has been unbelievable.

“People say they should ‘bring back hanging’ and ‘the parents must be so proud’. No, we are not.

“But now I know what happened I don’t think my son is a killer. He did not want anyone murdered.

“As far as everyone is concerned, we are ‘scum’, and we are not.”

Due to legal reasons, some names have been changed to protect identities.

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