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| Ben killing conviction 'quashed' | Ben killing conviction 'quashed' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A youth sentenced to indefinite imprisonment for public protection for the killing of a teenager, has been told his conviction will be quashed. | A youth sentenced to indefinite imprisonment for public protection for the killing of a teenager, has been told his conviction will be quashed. |
| Andrew Paul Rafferty, 19, had been ordered to serve at least five years after being convicted of Ben Bellamy's manslaughter in Swansea in 2004. | Andrew Paul Rafferty, 19, had been ordered to serve at least five years after being convicted of Ben Bellamy's manslaughter in Swansea in 2004. |
| But after listening to complex legal arguments, three appeal court judges ruled this conviction was "unsafe". | But after listening to complex legal arguments, three appeal court judges ruled this conviction was "unsafe". |
| They replaced it with a conviction for causing grievous bodily harm. | They replaced it with a conviction for causing grievous bodily harm. |
| Two other teenagers, Joel Taylor, 19, and Joshua Thomas, 17, are currently serving life sentences, with minimum terms of 22 and 18 years respectively. | Two other teenagers, Joel Taylor, 19, and Joshua Thomas, 17, are currently serving life sentences, with minimum terms of 22 and 18 years respectively. |
| The body of Ben Bellamy, 17, was found on the beach at Swansea | The body of Ben Bellamy, 17, was found on the beach at Swansea |
| They were convicted of murdering Ben, of Sketty Park, in September 2004. He was found dead on a Swansea beach. | They were convicted of murdering Ben, of Sketty Park, in September 2004. He was found dead on a Swansea beach. |
| Rafferty had been sentenced to indefinite imprisonment for public protection (IPP), which meant he faced a potentially life-long prison sentence. | Rafferty had been sentenced to indefinite imprisonment for public protection (IPP), which meant he faced a potentially life-long prison sentence. |
| But following complex arguments at London's Criminal Appeal Court, three judges said they would overturn his manslaughter conviction as "unsafe" and replace it with a conviction for causing grievous bodily harm. | |
| Lord Justice Hooper, who sat with Mr Justice Burton and Mr Justice Flaux, said that, due to the complexity of the legal arguments, which cannot be reported for legal reasons, they would reserve giving reasons for the judgment until a later date. |