A ‘jealous’ teenage stalker has been jailed for life for stabbing a 15-year-old ex-girlfriend…

November 1, 2024, 11:21 | Updated: November 1, 2024, 11:47 AM

A teenager who stabbed his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend to death in Northumberland has been jailed for life.

Logan McPhail, 17, was jailed for a minimum of 17 years for the murder of 15-year-old Holly Newton.

He stalked her in Hexham, Northumberland, before stabbing her to death in January 2023.

CCTV showed him in a snood and baseball cap hiding out of sight as he followed Holly and her friends around the city centre.

He also injured a teenager who intervened to stop the attack.

More details: A 17-year-old boy has been found guilty of murdering 15-year-old Holly Newton after he stalked and repeatedly stabbed the schoolgirl in an alley

More details: A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder as tributes began in Northumberland for 15-year-old Holly Newton, who was stabbed to death

He was found guilty of manslaughter after a trial at Newcastle Crown Court and was sentenced at the same court on Friday.

Last month, a judge lifted a reporting restriction that prevented the media from identifying him because of his age.

The prosecution said McPhail, who is autistic and has learning difficulties, did not accept that their 18-month relationship was over.

The night before he killed Holly, he drove 40 miles from his home in Gateshead to her home in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, where he wandered for hours.

McPhail was eventually taken home by the police, who had been alerted by his mother that he was missing.

Holly’s mother, Mikala Trussler, was concerned enough to contact the police and arranged to speak with an officer about McPhail’s behavior the next day.

That same day, McPhail stabbed Holly to death.

McPhail, who met Holly when they were both in the army, claimed he never planned to attack her but wanted to use the knife to kill himself, but jurors rejected his story.

In a victim impact statement on Thursday, Ms Trussler said she could not be with her fatally wounded daughter in hospital because her body “was a crime scene”.

The mother of four said Hall and McPhail had a typical teenage relationship at first, but her daughter realized he was controlling her.

Mrs Trussler believed her daughter was a victim of domestic violence, although she was under 16 at the time and her ex-partner had caused emotional distress.

He changed her social media passwords and made her believe he could hack into her accounts and threatened to harm himself.

On the night before the murder, McPhail repeatedly tried to let Holly into the house and spent hours trying to get one of her siblings to open the door.

“It scares me to think what would have happened to the rest of my family if he had been let in,” the mother said.

McPhail’s learning difficulties, his autism and his guilt were discussed during the two-day sentencing hearing.

David Brooke KC, prosecuting, said the teenager was able to get to Haltwhistle on his own from his home in Gateshead the night before the murder, follow Holly around Hexham while in disguise and lie to her about his whereabouts.

“He was very good at making rational choices,” Mr. Brooke said.

Nigel Edwards KC, defending, said McPhail’s progress since being in safe accommodation had been “meteoric”.

McPhail pleaded guilty to manslaughter but was convicted of murder as well as wounding the teenager.