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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Teenage killer sentence increased | Teenage killer sentence increased |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The teenage killer of schoolboy Joe Geeling has had his sentence increased from 12 years to 15. | The teenage killer of schoolboy Joe Geeling has had his sentence increased from 12 years to 15. |
| Michael Hamer, 15, repeatedly beat and stabbed 11-year-old Joe before dumping his body in a Greater Manchester park last March. | Michael Hamer, 15, repeatedly beat and stabbed 11-year-old Joe before dumping his body in a Greater Manchester park last March. |
| Hamer will now serve a minimum of 15 years of his life sentence for murder, the Court of Appeal has ruled. | Hamer will now serve a minimum of 15 years of his life sentence for murder, the Court of Appeal has ruled. |
| Joe's father, Tom Geeling, said the decision was "a victory for common sense". | Joe's father, Tom Geeling, said the decision was "a victory for common sense". |
| "At long last we feel we have achieved a more just sentence for our son's killer, he added. | "At long last we feel we have achieved a more just sentence for our son's killer, he added. |
| "Michael Hamer will still be a relatively young man when he is released from prison, but our personal loss will remain forever. | "Michael Hamer will still be a relatively young man when he is released from prison, but our personal loss will remain forever. |
| "However, we feel this judgement sets an appropriate sentence and is a victory for common sense. Hopefully we can now draw a line under this side of events and try again to move on". | "However, we feel this judgement sets an appropriate sentence and is a victory for common sense. Hopefully we can now draw a line under this side of events and try again to move on". |
| At his trial, Manchester Crown Court was told that Hamer lured Joe back to his house where he beat him with a frying pan before stabbing him to death. | At his trial, Manchester Crown Court was told that Hamer lured Joe back to his house where he beat him with a frying pan before stabbing him to death. |
| After the attack, he dragged Joe's body downstairs, put it in a wheelie bin and took the bin to the park, where he hid it. | After the attack, he dragged Joe's body downstairs, put it in a wheelie bin and took the bin to the park, where he hid it. |
| Hamer's minimum term was initially set at 12 years | Hamer's minimum term was initially set at 12 years |
| The appeal decision was made by Sir Igor Judge, Mr Justice Gray and Mr Justice Henriques, sitting in London, following submissions by the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith QC, who argued that the initial sentence was too lenient. | The appeal decision was made by Sir Igor Judge, Mr Justice Gray and Mr Justice Henriques, sitting in London, following submissions by the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith QC, who argued that the initial sentence was too lenient. |
| Sir Igor said it was a "fraught, worrying case". | Sir Igor said it was a "fraught, worrying case". |
| He said the aggravating factors of the case included the "deliberate selection" of Joe, the sustained violence and the "calm efforts of concealment" by Hamer which "represent a formidable level of culpability and seriousness." | He said the aggravating factors of the case included the "deliberate selection" of Joe, the sustained violence and the "calm efforts of concealment" by Hamer which "represent a formidable level of culpability and seriousness." |
| A search was launched for Joe, a cystic fibrosis sufferer, after he failed to return home from St Gabriel's High School in Bury on the day he died. | A search was launched for Joe, a cystic fibrosis sufferer, after he failed to return home from St Gabriel's High School in Bury on the day he died. |
| His body was found hidden under debris in a gulley in Whitehead Park the next day. | His body was found hidden under debris in a gulley in Whitehead Park the next day. |
| 'Difficult process' | |
| The court heard that the killing was probably triggered by Joe's rejection of a sexual advance by Hamer. | The court heard that the killing was probably triggered by Joe's rejection of a sexual advance by Hamer. |
| Det Supt Martin Bottomley, who led the investigation into Joe's murder, said: "Sentencing is always a difficult exercise and I believe the Court of Appeal has delivered a balanced judgment on the facts of this horrific case. | |
| "I am pleased that [Joe's parents] have been given the opportunity to see the case heard and carefully considered by three of the country's top judges. | |
| "It has been a long and difficult process for all the Geeling family and I hope that they can now take some comfort in the fact that Hamer will be in custody for an appropriate length of time and also that their feeling that the original sentence was too lenient has been upheld." |