Teenager jailed for killing a man in an alleyway in Cheshire

A 15 year old boy who stabbed a man in an alleyway in Cheshire has been jailed for ten years for manslaughter.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the teenager, who can’t be named because of his age,   had gone to Devon Close in Macclesfield on 6 May 2018 to meet Ian Paul Schofield, 38, and buy the Class A drug Crack.

He had gone there in a taxi with a 29 year old friend, who also can’t be named because it could lead to the identification of the young offender, from a house in Bollington, where they had been drinking with some friends.

They asked the taxi driver to wait while they went to pick up some money. An eye witness then saw the two men walking down the alleyway known as Becks Lane with Mr Schofield, who is known locally as “Legs”.

In the alleyway, the youth and Mr Schofield argued and the teenager took a knife  from his waistband and stabbed Mr Schofield in the stomach.

He ran off, leaving the older man at the scene. He was arrested and the 15 year old was picked up nearby by a patrol officer who knew him to be involved with drugs.

Mr Schofield was taken to hospital but died later from his injuries. On 15 November 2018, both defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to rob. The youth was also found guilty of manslaughter. He had earlier pleaded guilty to possession of a knife.

Today at Liverpool Crown Court, the fifteen year old was given a ten year sentence for manslaughter and five years for conspiracy to rob. The five year jail term will run alongside the longer sentence so he will serve ten years in total.

The second defendant was jailed for five years for conspiracy to rob.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Angela Rowan of Mersey Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “It was the Crown Prosecution Service’s case that both of these defendants  had gone to Devon Close with the intention of robbing Mr Schofield.

“We argued that the teenager had gone, armed with a knife for that purpose. He became aggressive and decided to stab Mr Schofield before fleeing the scene. He claimed he thought he was going to be attacked but there is no evidence for that.

“The CPS argued that the older man had also meant to rob Mr Schofield but he played no part in the killing. The jury agreed with that. Both defendants have now been sentenced to considerable periods in jail.

“The teenager is still a child with his life ahead of him but he, at such a tender age, has been jailed for one of the most serious crimes. He has ruined his life at the same time that he took the life of another.

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to extend condolences to the family of Mr Schofield and thank the witneses for their help in bringing these two men to justice.”