Teenager who killed dog walker in ‘vicious’ attack after park brawl jailed

Three teenagers who killed a dog walker in a “vicious” attack following an argument in a park have been jailed.

The 16-year-old girl and two boys, aged 15 and 16, admitted manslaughter to the manslaughter of “much-loved” John Hackett, 36, in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, last year.

His body was discovered by the 36-year-old mother the next day and he was pronounced dead at the home. His “devastated” mother was his carer and shared a house with him.

Judge Choudhury KC at Warwick Crown Court in Leamington Spa on Thursday handed the teenagers, who cannot be identified because of their age, a detention and training order, which is a custodial sentence. A 16-year-old girl from the Nuneaton area was sentenced to 18 months in prison, while a 15-year-old boy from Willencote, Staffordshire, was sentenced to two years in prison, while a 16-year-old boy from Willencote, Staffordshire The boy was sentenced to two years in prison. From Nuneaton, sentenced to two years in prison.

The defendant had previously denied murder at a hearing in the same court in January, which was accepted by prosecutors. At the end of the case, a woman believed to be a relative of the deceased began sobbing and said: “They ruined my life, they ruined it.”

Hackett’s family paid tribute to him after the sentencing, saying in a statement: “We are devastated by John’s passing. We have lost a much-loved son, brother, nephew and cousin because of a tragic incident. In an act of senseless violence, they were taken from us. John suffered weeks of bullying and torture, culminating in his tragic death. We are reminded of John and what he went through every day.

“We can never forgive those involved.”

Police said the defendant was verbally abusive to Hackett as he walked his dog through Snowhill Playground in the weeks before the attack. When he finally confronted them about his actions at around 6.15pm on April 25, they attacked him.

DCI O’Keefe told independent The defendant was part of a group of 12 teenagers, some of whom filmed the incident on their mobile phones. The girl was initially one of the people filming before joining in the violence.

After being alerted by Mr Hackett and a member of the public, police arrived and spoke to the three attackers, who all claimed they acted in self-defence.

Police later attended Mr Hackett’s home and found him in severe pain with head and chest injuries and he was immediately taken to hospital.

However, two hours later he was discharged and sent home, where he collapsed the next morning.

Emergency services were called to an address in Camp Hill Road, Nuneaton, at around 8am the next day, where Mr Hackett was pronounced dead.

At the time, footage of the attack, which CIA director O’Keefe described as “haunting”, had been widely shared on social media, with police urging people not to share it with others.

Later that day, three criminals were arrested.

A Home Office autopsy found Hackett died from severe abdominal injuries, allegedly resulting from a car crash.

After handing down the sentence, Insp O’Keefe warned of the unintended consequences of violent crime.

She said: “The level of violence displayed by these offenders was truly shocking and Mr Hackett must have been frightened.

“Our hearts go out to his family who are understandably devastated by his passing.

“This incident should serve as a warning to people – violence has consequences and sometimes those consequences can be tragic. The three young men may not have intended to kill Mr Hackett, but it ended up happening, just like Hackett Like his family, they will live with the consequences of their actions for the rest of their lives.”

She added: “No outcome will change what has happened but I hope Mr Hackett’s family can now begin to rebuild their lives after such a horrific ordeal.”

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