Hope family of murder victim get some closure as teenage killers are jailed
Prosecutors hope that the convictions and sentences handed down to three young men for the murder of Peter Cairns gives his family a measure of closure.
Mr Cairns was stabbed in the heart in June last year when violence broke out in Silkin Way, Telford, when a group of teenagers took offence after they were told to move away.
The 26-year-old was stabbed with a knife, while the boys also carried a display Samurai sword, a wheel brace and a hammer in a joint-enterprise confrontation.
The youngsters were detained today for more than 10 years each for the murder of Mr Cairns.
A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old who used a blunt Samurai sword were sentenced to 13 years detention, while another 16-year-old, who admitted stabbing Mr Cairns in the heart with a kitchen knife, was detained for 11 years.
All have already served 395 days in detention.
The Crown Prosecution Service's specialist unit called the Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit (SVOCE) worked with West Mercia Police to secure the results in court.
Mark Paul of the CPS said: "Unlike the convicted defendants, Peter Cairns had nothing to do with gangs, and the brutal attack on him was unprovoked.
"He was a completely innocent young man who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. While the convictions and sentences will not begin to compensate the Cairns family for the enormity of their loss, I hope that the conclusion of this case brings some measure of closure in knowing that the people responsible for his death have been held accountable."
