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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| 'Barbaric' killer given life term | 'Barbaric' killer given life term |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A 17-year-old from Nottingham who murdered a teenager after a row about a ripped jacket has been jailed for life. | A 17-year-old from Nottingham who murdered a teenager after a row about a ripped jacket has been jailed for life. |
| Judge Michael Stokes said Reuben Valentine was "barbaric and evil" and told him he must serve at least 16 years for killing Jason Spencer, 17. | Judge Michael Stokes said Reuben Valentine was "barbaric and evil" and told him he must serve at least 16 years for killing Jason Spencer, 17. |
| Nottingham Crown Court was told Valentine had become angry when his jacket was torn during a play fight. | Nottingham Crown Court was told Valentine had become angry when his jacket was torn during a play fight. |
| Valentine, from Sherwood, had denied the charge but changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday. | Valentine, from Sherwood, had denied the charge but changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday. |
| Videolink evidence | Videolink evidence |
| Judge Stokes also said Valentine was "totally out of control" and agreed Jason Spencer's mother was right to describe Valentine as "barbaric and evil". | |
| Valentine attacked Jason Spencer and stabbed him eight times, with two of the blows piercing his heart. | Valentine attacked Jason Spencer and stabbed him eight times, with two of the blows piercing his heart. |
| He has been snatched away from us because some evil person attacked him, showing no mercy John Greensmith, Jason's stepfather | |
| The court heard evidence - some given via videolink - that the defendant became angry after his jacket was torn and demanded £60 to replace it. | The court heard evidence - some given via videolink - that the defendant became angry after his jacket was torn and demanded £60 to replace it. |
| The jury was then told that when Mr Spencer offered to sew it up, Mr Valentine punched him in the face and was hit back. | The jury was then told that when Mr Spencer offered to sew it up, Mr Valentine punched him in the face and was hit back. |
| Speaking after the verdict, John Greensmith, Jason's stepfather, said: "We will never see Jason grow up, have girlfriends, get married or make Angela a grandmother. | |
| "He has been snatched away from us because some evil person attacked him, showing no mercy. He took the life of such a special person." | |
| His mother Angela said in a victim statement read out in court that her son's death had caused "tremendous pain and horror". | |
| "Jason's nature was one of a happy, warm, caring and very thoughtful person, who touched the hearts of many people. | |
| "He was all I lived for, he was my whole life, my baby boy, my special gift from God and now I will never see him again, never share a joke or hold him in my arms and tell him how much I love him. | |
| "Since that day (of his murder) I have been unable to return home to the house we lived in together, every second of every minute of every hour of every day I suffer and I will suffer for the rest of my life until the day Jason and I are reunited again." |