Jealous teenage killer given 17 year minimum term for murdering Holly Newton in brutal attack
by David Huntley · ChronicleLiveA jealous teenage killer who murderer Holly Newton in a "vicious and brutal attack" has been given a 17 year minimum term of detention.
Logan MacPhail was unhappy his relationship with 15-year-old Holly had ended and travelled to Hexham, where she was at school, armed with a knife on Friday, January 27 last year. He then secretly followed Holly for around an hour, before approaching her as she waited in a bus stop outside a pizza shop.
MacPhail, 16 at the time but now 17 , of Birtley, Gateshead, then persuaded Holly to go into a nearby alley to talk. It was then he launched a frenzied knife attack which killed her. She sustained 36 knife wounds, with the blade bending due to the ferocity of the blows.
Earlier this month, reporting restrictions were lifted, meaning MacPhail could be named as Holly's former boyfriend and murderer. Following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court, jurors found MacPhail guilty of murdering Holly and wounding another youth with intent when they went to her aid. On Friday, MacPhail was detained at His Majesty’s Pleasure, and must serve a minimum term of 17 years. As he had already spent 641 days on remand, he will technically serve 15 years and 89 days from Friday.
Sentencing MacPhail, Justice Nicholas Hilliard said Holly was described as a “beautiful child” by her family and loved sport and dancing. He said she was quiet, never had a bad report in school, and had a cat she loved and a small, close knit group of friends.
He said Holly’s parents showed “great dignity” throughout the trial, and that their lives changed forever when Holly died. Of a boy who was also attacked, the judge said he displayed "great bravery". The boy was also stabbed four times, including once in the neck.
During the chat with Holly at the bus stop, MacPhail made a number of attempts to get her into an alleyway and out of the view of members of the public. The judge said: “It may be that at first, you wanted somewhere to speak to Holly on your own…very soon you wanted to get Holly into the alley so you had the best opportunity to attack her without anyone intervening.”
MacPhail was said to be "filled with resentment and jealousy” as he launched a “vicious and brutal attack” which resulted in 12 stab wounds and 19 other sharp force injuries. Five stab wounds went into Holly's bone - one to her jaw, and two to her skull. One struck her backbone and one went into a shoulder blade.
The boy heard the attack and when he got into the alley, he saw MacPhail on top of her. MacPhail stabbed the boy four times, once in the neck, but he still managed to throw MacPhail off Holly. By the time help arrived, MacPhail was back on top of her, stabbing her. The force was so great, the knife broke and the blade was bent out of shape. The judge said: “I’m sure you intended to kill her, and you knew how final death was."
The court heard Holly’s injuries were “un-survivable” and courageous members of the public disarmed him, including Holly’s “brave” male friend. Not long after the killing, MacPhail said Holly had been “horrible” to him and that his parents didn’t care about him. He said the knife was to kill himself but that it “went too far”.
MacPhail had no previous convictions but had a history of self-harm with a knife. The judge said he was satisfied MacPhail took the knife that day so he could produce it and threaten or cause harm to himself to put pressure on Holly to go back out with him.
Addressing mitigating factors, the judge said MacPhail has a speech impediment and autism spectrum disorder - but at the mild end of the range. He said MacPhail witnessed violence in his home as a child and that social services had become involved. On one occasion he had taken an overdose, and on another occasion he was found on a bridge.
He said MacPhail had expressed remorse, but had also persuaded himself that Holly had treated him badly, which reduces some remorse he feels. His speech impediment affects his confidence and his ability to interact with others, the court was told.
On Thursday, the court heard a victim impact statement from Micala Trussler, Holly's mother. She said: "We will never know Holly as an adult, this year she should have been collecting her GCSE results and preparing for a prom. We will never get to see her walk down the aisle or meet her children. Logan has taken away her future and ours, we will never get to see Holly grow into a beautiful young woman."
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