This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/berkshire/7998196.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Men guilty of 'peacemaker' murder | Men guilty of 'peacemaker' murder |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Three men have been found guilty of killing a teenager who was acting as a peacemaker in a fight. | Three men have been found guilty of killing a teenager who was acting as a peacemaker in a fight. |
| Robert Spence, 17, of Burghfield Common, left a club in Reading with six friends on 2 May 2008 when one of the group got into a fight. | Robert Spence, 17, of Burghfield Common, left a club in Reading with six friends on 2 May 2008 when one of the group got into a fight. |
| He tried to intervene but he and friend Emmanuel Connor, 23, were stabbed when a fresh row erupted with another group. | He tried to intervene but he and friend Emmanuel Connor, 23, were stabbed when a fresh row erupted with another group. |
| Three men from Bristol were convicted of murder and attempted murder. Another was cleared at Reading Crown Court. | |
| Nicholas Olu, 31, of Sydenham Road, Leon Wilson, 32, of Firfield Street, and David Brooks, 33, of no fixed abode, who denied murder and attempted murder will be sentenced later. | |
| Carlton Miles, 28, Bridge Street, was found not guilty of both charges. | |
| Halfway through the trial, on 20 March, Jamal Powell, 28, was acquitted of all charges and released by Judge Zoe Smith. | Halfway through the trial, on 20 March, Jamal Powell, 28, was acquitted of all charges and released by Judge Zoe Smith. |
| Robert Spence was stabbed as he tried to help a friend | Robert Spence was stabbed as he tried to help a friend |
| The prosecution said after Robert, whose nickname was Junior, and his friends left the Mango Bar at about 0330 on 2 May, one of the group became embroiled in a fight. | |
| Robert had to restrain his friend and in the fracas another friend was bottled and stumbled into the five defendants, jurors heard. | Robert had to restrain his friend and in the fracas another friend was bottled and stumbled into the five defendants, jurors heard. |
| Olu, Wilson and Brooks then went to a car to arm themselves with knives before attacking Robert and Mr Connor. | |
| Robert and his friend managed to get a taxi to hospital after the stabbing. | Robert and his friend managed to get a taxi to hospital after the stabbing. |
| Mr Connor had one litre of blood removed from his chest cavity due to his stab wounds and survived but Robert's injuries included a fatal wound to his heart and he was later pronounced dead, jurors heard. | Mr Connor had one litre of blood removed from his chest cavity due to his stab wounds and survived but Robert's injuries included a fatal wound to his heart and he was later pronounced dead, jurors heard. |
| 'Mindless murder' | |
| Robert's sister Marcia Blake said: "I think they are evil, horrible, dirty animals. | |
| "To do this to a young boy, and as to why they have done it we'll never know. | |
| "He was a very loving and caring person - so young and beautiful. | |
| "Every day you think about him, the family is not complete anymore." | |
| Sandra Blake, Robert's mother, said: "I don't know how I would have coped if no-one had been held accountable for his mindless murder. | |
| "Junior's life was cut tragically short at the age of just 17. He died unnecessarily that night. | |
| "It's the family and friends that will be affected long after the verdict in this trial. | |
| "These men are almost old enough to be Junior's father - some may have children of their own. | |
| "He just didn't deserve to die at their hands like that. | |
| "They were men and he was just a boy, unable to defend himself from a knife attack." |