This is the moment evil teenage killer Logan MacPhail was arrested in Hexham - moments after he knifed ex-girlfriend Holly Newton to death in a "vicious and brutal" attack.
Emergency services were called to the Priestpopple area of the town on Friday, January 27, 2023, after reports that a boy and girl had been seriously assaulted.
The duo were found in a nearby alleyway with several stab wounds - and despite the best efforts of paramedics, Holly Newton, 15, tragically died.
It was later revealed that Logan, then aged 16, had stalked Holly for an hour through Hexham before knifing her 36 times in the alleyway.
Today, Friday, November 1, Logan was jailed for no less than 17 years following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court.
Now, CCTV footage has been released showing the moment officers cuffed the MacPhail, Holly's obsessed ex-boyfriend, at the scene in a bus shelter after being detained by passers-by.
After being arrested, he can be seen in the back of a police van being asked for details by a police officer - and when he doesn't provide his date of birth, the officer states: "Stop being clever. You know how much bother you are in."
MacPhail 'did not accept the 18-month relationship was over'
The night before he murdered Holly, MacPhail travelled 40 miles from his home in Gateshead to hers in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, where he hung around for hours.
He was eventually taken home by police who had been alerted by his mother that he was missing.
Holly’s mother, Micala Trussler, was concerned enough to contact the police and arranged to speak to an officer about MacPhail’s behaviour the next afternoon. That same afternoon, MacPhail stabbed Holly to death.
As part of the investigation that followed, detectives trawled CCTV and spoke to witnesses, leading them to discover the offender was Holly’s ex-boyfriend.
MacPhail had travelled from Gateshead armed with a kitchen knife and wearing a snood, before following Holly and her friends for around 45 minutes who were unaware of his presence.
He also made repeated contact with those close to Holly through voice messages in a bid to convince her to meet up with him face-to-face.
Harrowing footage from before his arrest shows him wearing the snood as well as a baseball cap - and ducking out of sight as he followed Holly and her friends around the town centre.
As Holly and the boy visited a takeaway on the town’s high street, he then approached her and asked if she would talk with him in a nearby alleyway.
After following him, MacPhail then launched a "vicious and brutal" attack on Holly.
When her friend heard Holly cry out, he left the shop and intervened, before he was also stabbed in the shoulder and leg.
MacPhail was arrested and subsequently charged overnight with Holly’s murder, and later with grievous bodily harm with intent against the 16-year-old boy.
The now-17-year-old had previously admitted manslaughter and possession of a bladed article but denied murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.
He remained anonymous until last month when the judge lifted a reporting restriction which had prevented the media from identifying him due to his age.
MacPhail, of Birtley in Gateshead, was found guilty of both offences in August by jurors following a six-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court.
Today he appeared before the same court and was handed a life sentence for murder, as well as a five-year prison sentence for grievous bodily harm with intent which will run concurrently.
'So many lives have been changed forever'
Officer in Charge, Detective Sergeant Darren Davies, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is a truly devastating case where Holly’s future has been cruelly taken away at the hands of her ex-boyfriend.
“Our thoughts remain with her family and friends as they attempted to navigate a life without her in it.
“While we may never know the full story, it is clear that MacPhail was unhappy with Holly after their relationship had recently ended.
“He was unable to move on and was adamant on speaking with her face-to-face that night. Nothing other than seeing Holly in person was going to be enough.
“And although he claimed this was to give Holly some of her belongings back, we later found he was not carrying anything for her.
“While MacPhail admitted harming Holly, he has denied always murdering her, meaning her family had to suffer through a long trial causing them significant distress.
“Of course, nothing will ever reverse the tragic events of that evening – but I hope the result today will bring her loved ones a sense of closure so they can attempt to move forward.
“So many lives have been changed forever by the decisions he made that night – and now he will have plenty of time to think about that in his prison cell.
“We would urge everyone to look at the pain this incident has caused to so many people – and think twice before carrying a weapon of any kind.
“As a community, we came together, and I would like to thank everyone who provided information for our investigation and those who shared kind words of support for the families involved.”
Lynsey Colling, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service North East, said: “Holly’s death at MacPhail’s hands has been utterly devastating for her family, and the focus of police and prosecutors throughout this case has been to ensure that they would see him face justice for his actions.
“It is very clear from the evidence in this case that Logan MacPhail killed Holly Newton after being unable to accept that their relationship was over.
“During the early stages of the case, MacPhail’s fitness to plead had been raised as an issue by the defence. It was clear to us from the early evidence that MacPhail did, in fact, possess sufficient evidence to face trial.
“The Crown Prosecution Service instructed psychiatrists to provide reports upon Logan, to assist the court in determining if he was fit to plead and to stand trial for the allegations made against him. Crucially, those assessments also showed that MacPhail possessed the capacity to have formed the required intent to prove the murder charge.
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“We’d like to thank Northumbria Police, their excellent investigation meant we were able to secure justice for Holly. Our thoughts remain with Holly’s family and friends, for whom this remains a particularly difficult time, and our sincere hope is that they can take some measure of comfort in seeing her killer sentenced today.”
If you are concerned about your own or a loved one’s relationship, we would encourage you to speak to someone you trust and, where appropriate, report to the most appropriate agency.
If you have immediate concerns that you or someone else might be at risk or in danger, please contact police immediately by calling 999.
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