Teenager handed life sentence for murdering 15-year-old Holly Newton in Hexham

Shortly after 5.10pm on Friday, January 27, 2023, police were called to reports that a boy and girl had been seriously assaulted in the Priestpopple area of the town centre.

Emergency services attended and found them in a nearby alleyway with several stab wounds and they were both rushed to hospital.

Despite the efforts of medical staff, Holly from the Haltwhistle area tragically passed away after sustaining 36 injuries.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, received treatment and was later discharged.

Officers swiftly arrested Logan MacPhail, then 16, at the scene after he was detained in a bus shelter by brave passers-by.

As part of the investigation that followed, detectives trawled CCTV and spoke to witnesses – leading them to discover the offender was Holly’s ex-boyfriend.

MacPhail had travelled from Gateshead armed with a kitchen knife and wearing a snood, before following Holly and her friends for around 45 minutes who were unaware of his presence.

He also made repeated contact with those close to Holly through voice messages in a bid to convince her to meet up with him face-to-face.

As Holly and the boy visited a takeaway on the town’s high street, he then approached her and asked if she would talk with him in a nearby alleyway.

After following him, MacPhail then launched a violent attack on Holly, stabbing her multiple times.

When her friend heard Holly cry out, he left the shop and intervened, before he was also stabbed in the shoulder and leg.

MacPhail was subsequently charged overnight with Holly’s murder, and later with grievous bodily harm with intent against the 16-year-old boy.

The now 17-year-old had previously admitted manslaughter and possession of a bladed article but denied murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.

MacPhail, of Birtley in Gateshead, was found guilty of both offences in August by jurors following a six-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

Today (Friday) he appeared before the same court as part of a two-day hearing and was handed a life sentence for murder with a minimum term of 17 years in prison. He was handed a five-year prison sentence for grievous bodily harm with intent which will run concurrently.

Officer in Charge, Detective Sergeant Darren Davies, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is a truly devastating case where Holly’s future has been cruelly taken away at the hands of her ex-boyfriend.

“Our thoughts remain with her family and friends as they attempted to navigate a life without her in it.

“While we may never know the full story, it is clear that MacPhail was unhappy with Holly after their relationship had recently ended.

“He was unable to move on and was adamant on speaking with her face-to-face that night. Nothing other than seeing Holly in person was going to be enough.

“And although he claimed this was to give Holly some of her belongings back, we later found he was not carrying anything for her.

“While MacPhail admitted harming Holly, he has denied always murdering her, meaning her family had to suffer through a long trial causing them significant distress.

“Of course, nothing will ever reverse the tragic events of that evening – but I hope the result today will bring her loved ones a sense of closure so they can attempt to move forward.

“So many lives have been changed forever by the decisions he made that night – and now he will have plenty of time to think about that in his prison cell.

“We would urge everyone to look at the pain this incident has caused to so many people – and think twice before carrying a weapon of any kind.

“As a community, we came together, and I would like to thank everyone who provided information for our investigation and those who shared kind words of support for the families involved.”

Lynsey Colling, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service North East, said: “Holly’s death at MacPhail’s hands has been utterly devastating for her family, and the focus of police and prosecutors throughout this case has been to ensure that they would see him face justice for his actions.

“It is very clear from the evidence in this case that Logan MacPhail killed Holly Newton after being unable to accept that their relationship was over.

“During the early stages of the case, MacPhail’s fitness to plead had been raised as an issue by the defence. It was clear to us from the early evidence that MacPhail did, in fact, possess sufficient evidence to face trial.

“The Crown Prosecution Service instructed psychiatrists to provide reports upon Logan, to assist the court in determining if he was fit to plead and to stand trial for the allegations made against him. Crucially, those assessments also showed that MacPhail possessed the capacity to have formed the required intent to prove the murder charge.

“We’d like to thank Northumbria Police, their excellent investigation meant we were able to secure justice for Holly. Our thoughts remain with Holly’s family and friends, for whom this remains a particularly difficult time, and our sincere hope is that they can take some measure of comfort in seeing her killer sentenced today.”

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, said: “My sympathy is with Holly’s family. Although today’s sentencing won’t bring Holly back, I hope knowing that the individual responsible for her death will be behind bars gives them at least a small sense justice has been done. Understandably, the sentence won’t feel anywhere near long enough, but I hope the family are now able to move forward with their lives as best they can.

“I am full of admiration for how Micala, Lee and the family have conducted themselves throughout the investigation and trial, and they have my full support with their calls for her murder to be classed as domestic abuse, rather than a knife crime incident. It just so happened a knife was used but this categorisation distracts from the sustained abuse and suffering Holly suffered in the lead up to her death. It’s only right the criminal justice system acknowledges this. We need an urgent review of current legislation and how the system can better protect young victims in coercive, controlling and abusive relationships.”

If you are concerned about your own or a loved one’s relationship, we would encourage you to speak to someone you trust and, where appropriate, report to the most appropriate agency.

If you have immediate concerns that you or someone else might be at risk or in danger, please contact police immediately by calling 999.