Latest news with #JahziahCoke
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Teenager who stabbed 13-year-old to death handed eight-year minimum term
A youth convicted of stabbing to death a 13-year-old boy during a drug-related row has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of eight-and-a-half years. The teenager, who cannot be identified after a judge ruled that his welfare and prospects of rehabilitation outweigh the public interest in naming him, was convicted in April by a majority verdict of murdering Jahziah Coke, who suffered a six-inch deep chest wound. Passing sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Mrs Justice Tipples told the defendant that she was sure he had 'intended to kill' Jahziah after pushing or moving a knife around his neck. She told the boy: 'When you killed Jahziah, he was only 13 and a child with everything in life ahead of him. This was a nasty and violent attack.' During her sentencing remarks, the judge accepted that the weapon used in the killing belonged to Jahziah and was taken from him by his killer at an address in Oldbury, West Midlands, in August last year. The defendant, who denied deliberately inflicting any injuries, fled over fences and then caught a bus to a friend's house to play video games in the hours after the killing, his trial heard. He also told the jury during his evidence in March that he was left traumatised after grabbing Jahziah's hands while being threatened with a knife, which he twisted towards the floor during an attempt to calm down an argument about a 'missing' quantity of cannabis. He also told jurors he did not have the knife in his own hands and had dialled 999 to summon paramedics, only leaving the property once he believed Jahziah was dead. During the sentencing hearing on Friday, Mrs Justice Tipples accepted that there was no premeditation, but ruled that the defendant was not acting in self-defence and that his actions were 'completely out of proportion' to the possible threat he faced. Prior to sentence, the defendant's lawyer, Paul Lewis KC, told the court during mitigation: 'The evidence at the trial was that (the defendant) has never had a knife, has never carried a knife and had never been seen with a knife. 'I am sorry to say it but that was not the position vis-a-vis the deceased. 'It was accepted from the very beginning by the Crown that the knife used in this case was not (the defendant's).' In a statement issued following the case, Emily Clewer, a senior crown prosecutor at the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'This is a deeply tragic case where Jahziah Coke lost his life and entire future senselessly to knife violence. 'Jahziah Coke's family and loved ones have suffered unimaginable pain and loss, and our thoughts are with them as they deal with the aftermath of this tragedy. 'The teenager responsible for this murder will now face the consequences of his actions in ways that will irrevocably change the trajectory of his life. 'While today's sentencing cannot undo the awful events that transpired that day, we hope it sends a strong message about the devastating impact of knife crime and how it can destroy lives, families and futures. 'There are no excuses for carrying or using knives to harm and kill, and the CPS will continue to work tirelessly with the police and partners to tackle knife crime and bring offenders to justice.'
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Teenager who murdered 13-year-old Jahziah Coke in a row over missing cannabis is jailed for eight years for 'nasty and violent attack'
A teenager who murdered a 13-year-old boy in a row over missing cannabis has been jailed for a minimum term of eight-and-a-half years following a 'nasty and violent attack'. The teenager, who cannot be identified, was convicted in April of murdering Jahziah Coke in Oldbury, West Midlands, in August last year. Jahziah was found collapsed in the hallway of a house with three stab wounds – one of which penetrated six inches into his chest and almost severed a rib. During the trial the court heard how the killer fled the scene of the murder by scaling garden fences. After emerging onto a road he then caught the first of two buses to the home of a friend where he played video games. Passing sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Mrs Justice Tipples told the defendant that she was sure he had 'intended to kill' Jahziah after pushing or moving a knife around his neck. She told the boy: 'When you killed Jahziah, he was only 13 and a child with everything in life ahead of him. This was a nasty and violent attack.' Prosecutor Kevin Hegarty KC previously told the jury how Jahziah was found alone in the property at the foot of the stairs last August after a 999 call was made. 'At the time the call was made Jahziah, a 13-year-old, was bleeding heavily', the prosecutor said. 'He had three wounds to his torso. One on his chest and two on his stomach or tummy. 'And those wounds had been caused by one or more sharp knives. The wound to his chest was approximately 15cm deep - six inches give or take.' The prosecutor said 'severe force' was used to inflict that chest wound. 'It almost completely cut through the sixth rib on his right side', he added. Mr Hegarty said that as well as the deep wound to Jahziah's chest, the boy also suffered two stomach wounds in the attack. He told jurors: 'One (wound) is where the knife has gone in and the other is where the point of the knife has come out, if you can imagine such a thing.' Forensic evidence, included diluted blood found on a kitchen chair, suggested an attempt had been made to 'clean up' something or someone after the killing. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that after fleeing the scene, the youth arrived at an address where a friend lived with her mother. The defendant 'went into (the friend's) room where they 'hung out for three hours, playing on a PlayStation and chatting', the prosecutor said. The court heard news eventually filtered through to the pair via Snapchat that Jahziah was dead and his alleged killer went on to give the girl and her mother 'an account of what he said happened that afternoon.' Mr Hegarty said: 'The boy claimed there had been a row and a struggle and that Jahziah had tried to stab him.' The boy claimed to the mother and daughter that he had tried to 'twist' his assailant's arm away from him before Jahziah 'dropped to the floor'. Mr Hegarty added: 'He said he did not know that Jahziah had been stabbed, but nor did he explain how there were two penetrating stab wounds. 'He claimed it was all an accident and that it shouldn't have happened.' The mother urged the teenager to go to police and a taxi was arranged to take him to a police station, the court heard. But Mr Hegarty said that while the youth duly went off in a cab, he 'didn't go into any police station'. The defendant told jurors the 13-year-old victim had picked up a knife and threatened him before a row over 'missing cannabis' led to a non-deliberate chest injury. The youth said he was left 'hurt and traumatised' after grabbing Jahziah's hands – twisting the knife towards the floor – and then seeing blood. The defendant also said that he did not have the knife in his own hands and dialled 999 to summon paramedics, only leaving the property once he believed Jahziah was dead. 'He started threatening me with it', the boy said. 'He tried to go for me. I was kind of close to him and he came closer.' Asked by defence counsel Paul Lewis KC what he had done next, the defendant said: 'Grabbed his hand – I got both of them. 'I twisted the knife towards the floor.' The boy said he didn't know what happened next, adding: 'I just remember seeing blood and then … yeah … blood on my hands.' Mr Lewis then asked the teenager what he remembered of how the fatal chest injury had happened. The youth answered: 'I don't know. It all happened too fast.' Denying that he had deliberately stabbed Jahziah in the chest or that he had taken the knife off him, the boy added that he only realised the 13-year-old had been injured when he started seeing blood. During the sentencing hearing on Friday, Mrs Justice Tipples accepted that there was no premeditation, but ruled that the defendant was not acting in self-defence and that his actions were 'completely out of proportion' to the possible threat he faced. Prior to sentence, the defendant's lawyer, Mr Lewis KC, told the court during mitigation: 'The evidence at the trial was that (the defendant) has never had a knife, has never carried a knife and had never been seen with a knife. 'I am sorry to say it but that was not the position vis-a-vis the deceased. 'It was accepted from the very beginning by the Crown that the knife used in this case was not (the defendant's).' In a statement issued following the case, Emily Clewer, a senior crown prosecutor at the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'This is a deeply tragic case where Jahziah Coke lost his life and entire future senselessly to knife violence. 'Jahziah Coke's family and loved ones have suffered unimaginable pain and loss, and our thoughts are with them as they deal with the aftermath of this tragedy. 'The teenager responsible for this murder will now face the consequences of his actions in ways that will irrevocably change the trajectory of his life. 'While today's sentencing cannot undo the awful events that transpired that day, we hope it sends a strong message about the devastating impact of knife crime and how it can destroy lives, families and futures. 'There are no excuses for carrying or using knives to harm and kill, and the CPS will continue to work tirelessly with the police and partners to tackle knife crime and bring offenders to justice.' Mrs Justice Tipples added: 'Jahziah was loved by his family and as a young boy aged 13, he had his life ahead of him. 'You intervened in an argument over cannabis. Jahziah produced a knife, his knife, and was angry. 'I'm sure that you took that knife off him, you disarmed him, and when you had done so, you attacked him with the knife. 'You pushed or moved the knife around his neck and you stabbed him twice, once to his chest and once to his abdomen. 'It was the deep stab wound to his chest which killed him.' The judge went on to say she was sure the boy intended to kill his victim. Mrs Justice Tipples told the youth: 'What you did in that moment has also changed your life forever. 'You will have to live with the consequences of what you did for the rest of your life.'
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- The Guardian
Teenager given life sentence for fatally stabbing Jahziah Coke, 13
A teenager who fatally stabbed 13-year-old Jahziah Coke during a dispute over cannabis has been given a life sentence with a minimum term of eight and a half years. The youth, who cannot be named due to a court order protecting his identity, was convicted of murder by a majority verdict in April after a trial at Wolverhampton crown court. Jurors heard how Jahziah died after suffering a six-inch deep knife wound to the chest at an address in Oldbury, West Midlands, in August last year. Sentencing the teenager on Friday, Mrs Justice Tipples said she was sure the defendant had 'intended to kill' Jahziah after pushing or moving a knife around the boy's neck. 'When you killed Jahziah, he was only 13 and a child with everything in life ahead of him,' the judge said. 'This was a nasty and violent attack.' The boy, who denied deliberately inflicting the fatal injury, told the court during his trial that he was traumatised by the incident. Although it was claimed in court by the defence that the knife used in the killing belonged to Jahziah and had been taken from him during the incident, the judge rejected the defendant's claim that he was acting in self-defence. She concluded that while there was no evidence of premeditation, his actions were 'completely out of proportion' to any threat he may have faced. After the stabbing, the defendant fled the scene over fences before taking a bus to a friend's house, where he played video games for several hours, the court heard. In a statement issued after the sentencing, Emily Clewer, a senior crown prosecutor at West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'This is a deeply tragic case where Jahziah Coke lost his life and entire future senselessly to knife violence. 'Jahziah Coke's family and loved ones have suffered unimaginable pain and loss, and our thoughts are with them as they deal with the aftermath of this tragedy. 'The teenager responsible for this murder will now face the consequences of his actions in ways that will irrevocably change the trajectory of his life. 'While today's sentencing cannot undo the awful events that transpired that day, we hope it sends a strong message about the devastating impact of knife crime and how it can destroy lives, families and futures. 'There are no excuses for carrying or using knives to harm and kill, and the CPS will continue to work tirelessly with the police and partners to tackle knife crime and bring offenders to justice.'
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Teen jailed for life for Oldbury murder of 13-year-old
A teenager has been given a life sentence for the murder of a 13-year-old and told he would serve at least eight-and-a-half years in body of Jahziah Coke, who was stabbed in the stomach and chest, was discovered at a house in Oldbury, near Birmingham, by ambulance crews responding to a 999 call on 29 trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court was told the defendant fled the scene and caught a bus to a friend's house to play video teenager had denied murder, claiming the wounds were not deliberate but a jury returned a guilty verdict, by a majority of 10 to two, in April. Passing sentence on Friday, Mrs Justice Tipples told the defendant that she was sure he had "intended to kill" Jahziah after pushing or moving a knife around his neck."When you killed Jahziah he was only 13 and a child with everything in life ahead of him. This was a nasty and violent attack," she her sentencing remarks the judge accepted that the weapon used in the killing belonged to Jahziah and was taken from him by his killer at an address in Oldbury, West Midlands, in teenager cannot be identified after the judge ruled that his welfare outweighed the public interest in naming him. Emily Clewer, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This is a deeply tragic case where Jahziah Coke lost his life and entire future senselessly to knife violence."She said his family had suffered "unimaginable pain and loss" while his killer "will now face the consequences of his actions in ways that will irrevocably change the trajectory of his life". Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- BBC News
Teen convicted of murder after boy, 13, found dead in Oldbury
A teenager has been found guilty of murder, after a 13-year-old was stabbed and found dead in a house. The body of Jahziah Coke, who was stabbed in the stomach and chest, was discovered in Oldbury, near Birmingham, by paramedics responding to a 999 call on 29 August. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
