The officer in charge of the police investigation into the murder of Holly Newton said he hopes today’s (Friday, November 1) sentencing of her killer may help to bring, “a sense of closure” to her family.
Detective Sergeant Darren Davies, of Northumbria Police, was speaking after 17-year-old Logan MacPhail received a minimum period of detention for Holly’s murder of 17 years at Newcastle Crown Court.
MacPhail, who was 16 at the time, was unhappy that Holly had ended their relationship of about 18 months and was angered to see her in the company of another male teenager, when he “stalked” her around Hexham in the hour prior to the fatal attack.
Passing sentence, the judge, Mr Justice Nicholas Hilliard said, “filled with resentment and jealousy” MacPhail carried out the “vicious and brutal” attack on Holly, inflicting 36 knife injuries in little more than a minute after luring her into an alleyway in Hexham town centre, on January 27, last year.
“She was described by her mother (Micala Trussler) as a beautiful child who grew into a funny and happy teenager who would do anything for anyone.
“She loved all types of sport and from an early age, she fell in love with dancing.
“She was a quiet student at school who never had a bad report.
“She had a small and tight-knit group of friends and a cat she loved.
“Above all, she was passionate about her family.
“Her mother has told me about the effect upon the family of Holly’s murder, of the pain and of the loss they have suffered, with no end in sight.
“I know what a long process this has already been for them.
“By their great dignity and forbearance whilst at court, they have honoured Holly’s memory.
“All those years ahead for a 15-year-old girl that she and they will never see.”
Det Sgt Davies described it as, “a truly devastating case”, in which Holly’s future was, “cruelly taken away at the hands of her ex-boyfriend.”
He said: “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.
“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.
“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.
“We’d like to thank Northumbria Police. Their excellent investigation meant we were able to secure justice for Holly.
See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here
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“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.”
Ms Colling said if people have concerns about their own or a loved one’s relationship, she would encourage them to speak to someone they trust and, where appropriate, report it to the most appropriate agency.
But, if they have immediate concerns if anyone might be at risk or in danger, then they should contact police immediately, by calling 999.
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