Teen lied to police to give friend 'alibi' after he stabbed man to death

A teenager fabricated a story to the police in an attempt to exonerate his friend from a murder charge, believing it would "make them look good." The 17 year-old, whose identity is protected due to his age, corroborated a false account that his friend Jordan Rance, also gave to authorities in November last year.

On November 17 2023, during a minor dispute at a social event in a flat in Atherton, Wigan, tensions rose, leading 17 year-old Rance to fatally stab Paul Marsh in the shoulder, cutting his carotid artery. After a trial in March, Rance was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years behind bars.

Prosecutor Joseph Hart recounted that Rance and his accomplice were at the flat when Rance engaged in a confrontation with Mr Marsh. "Jordan Rance stabbed Mr Marsh to the shoulder and he died as a result of that injury."

Read next: Woman attacks couple with shovel and fire poker in horrific footage

Read more: Date single-use vapes will be banned in Wales confirmed

Witnesses described how Mr Marsh collapsed onto a sofa while Rance remained with the defendant. After the incident, Rance told police the stabbing was unintentional, claiming Mr Marsh had brandished a 'shiny thing' and demanded his phone.

"There was a struggle and Jordan Rance had pushed Mr Marsh and both fell with Mr Marsh on top of him. He claimed he left the flat not knowing he was hurt," reports the Manchester Evening News.

Days later, the friend was questioned by police and confirmed his presence at the flat during the incident. He alleged that Mr Marsh had drawn a knife from his waistband amidst a scuffle that saw them both on the floor. He claimed that he 'didn't think anything serious' happened and claimed he had never seen Mr Marsh before.

"This was an untrue account and an attempt to pervert the course of justice," continued Mr Hart.

Rance subsequently provided two defence statements; one echoed his initial police statement, while the other described an exchange of blows with Mr Marsh, followed by Rance picking up a knife from a nearby table. It emerged that Rance and his friend had encountered Mr Marsh weeks earlier in another altercation.

"It is the prosecution's case that Jordan Rance's first account, later accepted as untrue, was used in consequence of collusion. This was a deliberate attempt to collude with Jordan Rance," the prosecutor stated. There was extensive communication between the defendant and Rance about altering evidence, including resetting phones and swapping SIM cards.

The young man said: "Me and Jordan had our story ready if we do get nicked. Jordan told the police his side of the story, he said my name, they come to me I tell them the same story and that'll make us both look good. "I'm Jordan's alibi, like to get Jordan out of it."

The teenager, with six prior convictions for 18 offences, including driving offences and wounding with intent, admitted to perverting the course of justice after initially claiming he believed Rance acted in self-defence. David Bruce, defending, highlighted his client's remorse, stating: "The most important thing is there is clear remorse. This young man has had very significant difficulties in his life." He also mentioned that the teen was 'open to being exploited' by older individuals.

However, Judge Tina Landale, during sentencing, made it clear that the fabricated story was a deliberate attempt to mislead: "It was obvious you and Jordan had put your heads together to give this false story in the hope of getting Jordan off with a murder charge."

She added: "In reality, the story you came up with was a load of nonsense. It was unsophisticated but it was planned."

Acknowledging the teen's troubled past and exploitation by elders, she nevertheless said: "It seems you do regret what happened and you are sorry. You had a difficult background and were exploited by those older than you - but you weren't exploited here, you did it out of loyalty for a friend."

The teenager received a 12-month detention and training order, half of which will be served in a Young Offenders Institution before release on licence.

Check the latest crime statistics for your area: