Teenage killer gets three years

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A 16-year-old boy who stabbed another teenager to death in a children's play area in south London has been sentenced to three years' detention.

Last month Adam Eastmond was found guilty of manslaughter after stabbing Gavin Brown, 17, in the neck with a commando-style knife in October 2005.

Gavin's mother Anita said she was "appalled" by the sentence.

But Old Bailey Judge David Paget said he had been impressed by Eastmond's expressions of "profound regret".

"There are no winners in this case, only losers," he told Eastmond, of Green Court Avenue, Croydon.

"This case is a tragedy for all concerned, for Gavin Brown and his family first and foremost.

"I hope that in any case you will make something of your life."

The Crown Prosecution Service said it was considering whether to refer the case to the Attorney General as an unduly lenient sentence.

'Surprised'

Gavin's mother had made a plea to the court that the case should set an example to other youngsters of the dangers of carrying knives.

"At the end of the day you would think that with the amount of stabbings of teenagers that the law would be there to set an example," she said on Friday.

"I get the impression of 'slap on the finger, don't worry about it'."

The officer in charge of the investigation, Det Insp Neil Cochlin, has also expressed concerns about the sentence.

"I am surprised at the short sentence given and can fully understand the anger and upset of the family who have lost a son in such tragic circumstances," he said.

Eastmond, who was 15 at the time of the stabbing, could not previously be named for legal reasons.

Last month he was found not guilty of murdering Gavin at Parkfield Recreation Ground in Shirley, south London.

Eastmond had been showing off his knife, which was tied to his tracksuit bottoms in a sheath, when the tragedy occurred.