How detectives uncovered knife killer Logan MacPhail's determination to find Holly Newton in Hexham
by Sophie Doughty · ChronicleLiveEmotionless and determined, murderer Logan MacPhail was so intent on confronting his ex-girlfriend - nothing was going to stop him.
That's the view of the detective who brought the knife killer to justice for stabbing teenager Holly Newton to death. MacPhail launched his deadly attack in a Hexham alleyway after splitting up with Holly. The 15-year-old victim died in hospital soon after.
After MacPhail was given a 17 year minimum term, Det Sgt Darren Davies, who led the investigation for Northumbria Police, has told of the now 17-year-old's determination to come face-to-face with Holly on that tragic night, and his chilling reaction to being arrested for her murder.
He said: "His motive for what happened, we will probably never fully know. But it's abundantly clear by his behaviour for a couple of days that getting face-to face with Holly had to happen. His full focus was to get face-to-face with Holly. I don't think anything was going to stop him doing that. He was determined to get face-to-face with Holly. He made sure of that."
Newcastle Crown Court heard how McPhail, from Birtley in Gateshead, took it badly when his 18-month relationship came to an end. In the run-up to the murder he contacted Holly asking to meet her so he could get his PlayStation back, and on the night before the stabbing he travelled close to where Holly lived, in Haltwhistle. MacPhail's family reported him missing to police and he was found in a park waiting to get his possessions back.
Phone messages showed Holly refused to meet him and said she could meet him in Hexham the following day after school. She later sent messages to someone saying she was worried in case “he follows us and it all kicks off”.
Jurors heard how on Friday January 27, MacPhail left his Gateshead school at around 1.30pm after telling teachers he was tired and travelled to Hexham by bus. CCTV evidence revealed he followed Holly and her friends for a period of around 45 minutes before approaching Holly outside a pizza shop.
Holly, unaware that her ex was carrying a knife, agreed to speak to him in an alleyway next to the takeaway, which is where MacPhail launched his frenzied attack. A boy, who went to Holly’s aid also suffered knife injuries. Passers-by and people from the shop went to stop MacPhail, who was pulled off Holly while still stabbing her.
Det Sgt Davies explained how when police arrived brave members of the public were holding MacPhail in the bus stop, while staff from the pizza shop, Pizza Pizza, were giving the boy first aid.
"The first report to the police came shortly after 5.10pm, on January 27, 2023," he said. "It was reported that a female and a male, both teenagers, had been stabbed in an alleyway. The boy got injured trying to help her. After being stabbed he got help from the takeaway staff and passers-by.
"Members of the public were helping. First aid was being given to a boy in the pizza shop and there was a female in the alleyway. Both were taken to hospital, and Holly Newton sadly died not long after arriving.
"MacPhail was detained by people at the scene. A gentleman took him off Holly and detained him and other members of the public held him in the bus stop. Our investigation started from there."
Det Sgt Davies said MacPhail was calm as police began to speak to him, but he denied going to Hexham to hurt Holly.
"MacPhail was calm and emotionless," he said, "He was removed from the bus stop to the van, which was a short distance. He said straight away: 'She's been awful to me'. He said he went there to harm himself. That was a stance which he maintained throughout. The lack of emotion was something he maintained throughout.
MacPhail was in a holding cell at Newcastle's Forth Banks Police Station when Holly passed away, and he was re-arrested on suspicion of murder. With the same lack of emotion he said: "Is she dead?" the detective explained.
During MacPhail's interviews he denied going to Hexham to hurt Holly. He said he was carrying the knife to harm himself, and even said he had gone to Hexham to look for places to go kayacking.
"He was emotionless.," said Det Sgt Davies. "He responded to questions and he talked throughout."
And as police began piecing together what happened in the run-up to Holly's death, detectives found CCTV and telephone evidence, which Det Sgt Davies believes proved otherwise.
"In terms of who was responsible it was a good position from an investigation point of view," he said. "We had several very good witnesses, from a close knit town like Hexham. We had no shortage of witnesses.
"We had a lot of CCTV of McPhail following Holly and her friends around the town for a period of around 45 minutes. Holly and her friends were totally unaware he was there. He maintained he 'bumped into her' But the CCTV shows that's not true."
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Holly had been nervous of running into MacPhail when she left school that day. A friend of hers messaged MacPhail to find out where he was, and despite already being in Hexham he replied saying he was in Newcastle.
Det Sgt Davies added: "It was clear he knew what he was doing was wrong.
"My view has always been he went to Hexham to find Holly. I think he definitely planned to speak to her and that had to happen face-to-face. He did have plenty of opportunity to harm himself. The knife was readily available."
It took more than 18 months for MacPhail to stand trial for Holly's murder, and for wounding the other teenager. During the early stages of court proceedings the defence raised the issue of whether MacPhail, who has autism, was fit to plead. Specialist psychologists were instructed by both the defence and the prosecution before the court finally concluded the defendant did have the capacity to understand and make pleas to the allegations made against him.
But Det Sgt Davies said he always believed MacPhail understood what was happening.
"It was a very long process. It was about his capacity to understand the process," he said. "It was a hard part of the investigation. There was never a point where I thought he was unable to understand what was going on, when you look at what he's done, and look at the criteria of being fit to plead."
"The use of public transport, the use of his phone, the finding and following her, the involvement of others, it all shows him functioning at a higher level than he appeared.
"Everyone who knows the area knows Gateshead to Hexham isn't s short journey on public transport. He then had a period of 40 minutes on his own in the town and 45 minutes to an hour following her. He had ample opportunity to realise at the very least she didn't want to see him. But he was determined he had to speak to Holly.
"They speak for about 10 minutes and then they go into the alleyway. There is an element of keeping out of public view. he doesn't attack Holly until the boy Holly was with is back in the pizza shop. There is a sinister element that nothing happened until Holly was on her own."
And the jury agreed that MacPhail had intended to stab Holly and the boy when they returned guilty verdicts on charges of murder and wounding with intent.
Lynsey Colling, Acting Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor from Crown Prosecution Service North East, also explained the challenges in the case.
"From the outset we had a case where it was clear psychological evidence in respect of the defendant was going to be offered. There was a lot of third party material in relation to reports that were prepared," she said. "The element of planning and the way he presented in interview that started the view that he did have the relevant capacity
"We commissioned out own psychological reports and the judge commissioned their own. It unfortunately just built delay into the system. We had to make sure we had that evidence that supported the charge of murder.
"It was unusually long. In a case like this we are very mindful of the impact of the proceedings on the family. What we have set out to do was to get a just outcome. We felt the just outcome was to place to youth before the court so he could be tried for an offence of murder.
"In any case you review all the evidence, the physical and the psychological evidence. In this case we thought the evidence supported the fact he did have that capacity to form the intent."
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