Teen trio jailed for murdering man in knife attack

Three teenagers who murdered a man and attempted to kill his son in a vicious stabbing have been detained for life.

Gary Belfield, 40, was repeatedly stabbed with a knife and screwdriver by Leandro Lopes, 18, and Jordan Tams, 17, in an attack orchestrated by 15-year-old Kriesha Beyonce Stroud, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Mr Belfield's son Luke Williams was also stabbed multiple times at his father's home in Gateshead in April but managed to flee the killers.

All three were found guilty of murder and attempted murder and detained at His Majesty's pleasure. Lopes and Tams must each serve 26 years before being eligible for parole, while Stroud must serve 20 years.

Stroud arranged the attack over allegations Mr Williams had assaulted a relative of hers, prosecutor Michael Bunch said, with the plan having "overtures of revenge and vigilantism".

At about 21:00 BST on 27 April, Lopes and Tams burst into Mr Belfield's home in Elliot Drive, Felling, with their faces covered and launched a savage assault on the two men inside.

Mr Belfield, a father of six originally from Manchester, sustained almost a dozen injuries including deep stab wounds to his back and thigh, the latter severing an artery, and he was left bleeding to death on a sofa, the court heard.

Mr Williams, who is in his 20s, was also stabbed repeatedly but managed to run to a nearby garage where a mechanic gave life-saving treatment.

On the way, Mr Williams passed Stroud who he knew and thought he was "on alright terms with", the court heard.

Stroud appeared "shocked" to see him, which prosecutors inferred was "shock due to him being alive".

In a statement read to the court, Mr Belfield's father, James Belfield, said the family's lives had been "ruined" and the "ripple effect" was far-reaching, especially for his children.

He said his son, an Amazon delivery driver, was a "good" and "hard-working" man, who had moved to Tyneside five years ago for a relationship.

The killing was "needless" and "senseless", Mr Belfield's father said.

Mr Williams said he had no doubt he would have been killed if he had not been able to flee, adding the killers "didn't ask for anything" when they entered and he "sensed they had a purpose".

He said he had a good relationship with his father and the pair were enjoying living together, adding: "I grieve the loss of opportunity to enjoy a long, happy father-son relationship, it's all I ever wanted."

Mr Williams said the three murderers were "vile human beings" and had shown they had no remorse by "laughing and joking" between sessions at their 16 day-long trial.

"I genuinely hope they get to live a long life of regret," Mr Williams said, adding they had been described as "children" but "those children stole my best friend and changed our lives forever".

The court heard Stroud, of Eastcote Terrace, Walker, Newcastle, had no previous convictions while Lopes, of Archer Street, Byker, had previously attacked lone people with his gang and Tams, of Wesley Court, Felling, had been caught with a knife.

Voice notes were found on Tams' phone in which he boasted about wanting to stab people.

In mitigation for Stroud, Francis Fitzgibbon KC she had been "abandoned, abused and exploited throughout her life" and "violence was normalised" in infancy.

Toby Hedworth KC, for Lopes, said all three killers were "damaged goods".

He said the 18-year-old was a product of his "dreadful upbringing", having grown up surrounded by criminals in Portugal before moving to the UK, at the age of seven, where he had been persistently bullied.

Mark McKone KC said Tams did not have the maturity of a "usual" 17-year-old and his history made for "tragic reading", adding: "Through no fault of his own [Tams] has been witness to a lot of violence as a child."

Mr Justice Constable, who lifted reporting restrictions so the two younger killers could be identified, said the "dreadful attack" was shocking because of both its "brutality" and the fact it was "encouraged and carried out" by children.

He said the "ferocity" of it spoke for itself and Mr Williams was lucky to survive, while Stroud was waiting outside to see her "plan put into action".

The judge said all three had a complete lack of remorse and Stroud's boasting about the attack in the aftermath was "horrendously callous".

He said while "instigator" Stroud did not join in the stabbing, without her "none of this would have happened".

The judge said Mr Belfield "must have suffered considerably" during the "terrifying and unprovoked" attack by two masked men in his own home.

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