The gang of boys who stabbed a teenager to death with a Rambo-style knife have been named and pictured for the first time.
Jack Woodley was 18 years old when he was murdered by the 10 young killers, made up of 14-17-year-olds.
A jury heard he was ‘surrounded and isolated’ by the mob of teen strangers and then stabbed in the back, ‘like zombies attacking an animal’, after they followed him from a funfair and chased him down an alleyway by a pub in Houghton le Spring, Sunderland.
The young man from Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, was punched and kicked, stamped on and fatally stabbed with a 25cm blade during the horrific attack on October 16 2021.
He was taken to hospital but nothing could be done to save his life and he passed away the next day.
The boys were convicted of murdering Jack following a long trial at Newcastle Crown Court. They were all handed life sentences, minimum terms of between eight and 17 years’ detention, a total of 124 years between them.
Each of them went on to challenge their conviction at the Court of Appeal in London. However their bids were dismissed by top judges.
Sentencing, the judge said the group had attacked Mr Woodley ‘solely for the excitement and pleasure of inflicting serious injury on an entirely innocent and randomly selected stranger’.
Jack Woodley (pictured) was 18 years old when he was murdered by the 10 young killers, made up of 14-17 -year-olds
Judge Rodney Jameson made reporting restrictions banning the identity of each killer being published until they reached the age of 18.
The youngest of the 10, Lewis Rose, became an adult yesterday. The identities of Tyler Brewis, 18, and Rhys Wear, 18, have also now been revealed.
Seven of the gang were named in 2023 following a legal challenge by the Northern Echo.
The other members were Grant Wheatley, Clayton Owen, Sonny Smith, Joe Lathan, Leighton Mayo, Blaine Sewell and Calum Maddison, who was 15 at the time and inflicted the fatal wound.
One witness said in court the youths were like a ‘herd of lions’ when they attacked.
Another witness who saw the violence said: ‘Jack got down on the floor so he could curl up in a ball.
‘He was so scared. There were so many punches raining down on him. They were brutal.
‘Everyone in the group was just kicking the life out of Jack, stamping on his head.
The youngest of the 10, Lewis Rose, became an adult yesterday
The identity of Tyler Brewis, 18, has also now been revealed
Rhys Wear, 18, was amongst the last of the boys to be named
The young man from Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, was punched and kicked, stamped on and fatally stabbed with a 25cm blade (pictured) during the horrific attack on October 16 2021
Jack Woodley on a life support machine at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle after the fatal attack on October 16 last year
‘The lads were savagely kicking Jack, like zombies attacking an animal.
‘I remember the terrified look on Jack’s face as he was being kicked, punched and stamped on.’
The parents of Jack have paid tribute to him following the verdicts.
His mother Zoey McGill said: ‘Jack was my reason to live and succeed in life. From the moment Jack was born he brought light and love to us all.
‘The devastation of losing Jack is immense and far reaching. The trauma of reliving this whole incident over a long trial has had a devastating effect on us all. We cannot see a way of recovering from this.
‘We feel imprisoned by our grief and trauma. No parent, loved one or friend should suffer someone going to a fair and losing them forever. We will never be able to share treasured family moments with our cheeky chappy blue-eyed boy ever again.’
Prosecutor Mark McKone told the court that while only one youth inflicted the fatal stab wound, the other nine are guilty due to ‘the concept of joint enterprise’.
He added: ‘What each defendant did to Jack varies, some used more serious violence than others.
Calum Maddison was 15 at the time and inflicted the fatal wound
Pictured (left to right): Clayton Owen , Sonny Smith, Blaine Sewell
Pictured (left to right): Joe Lathan, Grant Tumelty and Leighton Mayo
‘But the prosecution say this was classic joint enterprise, where a group acted together for the common purpose of causing really serious injury to Jack.
‘The prosecution say all 10 defendants participated in this joint attack, using violence themselves or intentionally encouraging others to use violence.
‘To be guilty of murder, a defendant must intent that a victim is killed or intend that a victim is caused really serious harm.
‘It follows, that a person can be guilty of murder without intending for someone to be killed.’
