Middleton teenager given life for murder

Shane Boyd has been given a life sentence for the murder of Conor Black in Moston.

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A teenage boy from Middleton has been convicted of stabbing a joinery student to death in Moston because of an argument over a computer games console.

Shane Boyd, aged 16, of Nowell Road, was found guilty of murdering 16-year old Conor Black following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

He was today (Friday 20 February) sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to serve a minimum of 11 years.

21-year old John Boyd, also of Nowell Road, pleaded guilty to section 47 assault and perverting the course of justice.

Boyd was sentenced to three years in a young offenders institute.

The 16-year-old boy wanted to confront Conor over the alleged theft of an Xbox games console, and fatally stabbed him in the early hours of Saturday 16 August last year, on Gill Street in Moston.

Shortly before midnight on Friday 15 August Conor arrived at a house on Lightbowne Road where he had planned to spend the evening with friends.

He then received a phone call inviting him to a house party on Gill Street.

Conor and his friends took up the invitation, but when they arrived they were asked to wait outside.

After a few minutes, a number of teenage boys came out of the house, followed by the offender.

Boyd asked one of the boys for a can of beer. He took the can in his left hand and with his other hand he pulled a kitchen knife from his waistband.

He approached Conor and hit him on the head with the beer can. He then plunged the knife below Conor's left shoulder blade, as he was trying to move away.

Conor managed to run away from the house, but collapsed when he got a short distance away on Moston Lane.

Police and paramedics arrived at the scene but Conor died from a single stab wound on the way to hospital.

At Gill Street, Boyd was showing off to everybody at the party, saying that he was 'the best'.

He threatened to kill anyone who mentioned his name to the police.

The police launched a murder inquiry and started interviewing witnesses.

At 7.45pm on Sunday 17 August, Shane Boyd handed himself in to police at Ashton police station. He was arrested on suspicion of Conor's murder.

In a separate incident, on Monday 8 September, a 16-year-old boy, a witness to the murder, ran into a house in Moston, through the back kitchen door.

He went into the living room and apologised to the woman inside the house. He then ran upstairs to hide.

Shortly afterwards, John Boyd came into the same house, via the same door, and asked the woman where the boy was. She said that he had gone.

John Boyd left, but after a few more minutes, came back and went upstairs.

He found the boy, punched him in the face and then left. He told the boy never to call his friend a murderer again.

The boy came back downstairs with bruising and blood on his face.

John Boyd was arrested on Tuesday 9 September.

In a tribute to Conor Black, his family said: "We are all devastated by Conor's death.

"We are a close family, we look after each other and Conor had a bed in everyone's house.

"He played football and loved his music and rapping.

"At the age of fourteen, Conor started a course in joinery. Over 6ft tall, he was a big lad for his age.

"He would rather be out in the company of friends and family than stay at home.

"He was cheeky and had a laugh, and he was also very caring and loving. Sometimes he would come in just for a cuddle; that's the way he was.

"Our loss as a family is Conor's future and what it would have been, his little proud face when he became the joiner he wanted to be, his face when he would have shown his mum his first born.

"All the hopes and dreams of a family were crushed when Conor's life was stolen in that terrible, violent way.

"His mum lost her friend, her child, her life and that makes us so very sad and helpless."

Detective Chief Inspector Serena Kennedy said: "This terrible case shows the devastating impact that knives can have. One boy's family is grieving the loss of his life, and today the defendant, himself a boy, will start spending his life in prison.

"We would like to thank those members of the community who came forward and volunteered information.

"Anonymous calls to the independent charity Crimestoppers provided useful information to the investigative team.

"This pair tried to bully the community and they have been brought to justice because in the end residents decided that this had gone too far."