Leighton Amies, aged 15, attacked Tomasz Oleszak in a park in October 2022, fatally stabbing him in the chest with a knife. During the incident, Amies shouted, “I’ve wetted your boy” at a gang, as revealed in court.
In April, Amies was found guilty at Newcastle Crown Court, prompting Mr. Justice Spencer to lift the ban on identifying the defendant due to the severity of the crime and as a deterrent against knife-carrying by teenagers. It should be noted that Amies was only 14 years old at the time of the stabbing.
The teenager has now been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Addressing Amies in court, Mr. Justice Martin Spencer, fighting back tears, stated, “He was only 14.
He had his whole life in front of him. The death of a child is something from which no parent can fully recover, but I find the most poignant remark of all to be that from Tomasz’s six-year-old brother, who exclaimed, ‘Mom, don’t cry so much, Tomasz would not want it.’ For his sake as well as for your own, I hope you are able to move on in some measure from this tragedy.
I’m sure I speak for everyone in this court in wishing you the very best for the future.” Throughout the trial, Amies denied murder, claiming that he was unaware he had stabbed Tomasz and that he had only slashed another youth’s coat in self-defense after being attacked by the group in Gateshead, Tyne, and Wear, told Daily Mail.
Jurors learned that Amies was walking through Whitehills Nature Park with his girlfriend around 8 p.m. when they were followed by a group of youths. Carrying a serrated kitchen knife in his jacket pocket for “reassurance,” Amies used the weapon to slash Tomasz when he faced aggression from the group. Following the fatal blow, Amies shouted, “I’ve wetted your boy” to the gang, as recounted in court.
A victim impact statement from the boy’s mother, Kamila Wisniewska, was read during the proceedings. Kamila expressed her profound grief, saying, “He was the most beautiful boy, with good manners and respect for life. Everyone loved his laugh and appreciated his kind, loving, and helpful nature. I know, as a mother, my pain will never leave me. Not a day goes by that I don’t cry. Not a day goes by that I don’t enter Tomasz’s room and pray to him. I keep imagining him lying on his bed, playing his favorite Xbox. His school things and belongings lie untouched.”
Peter Makepeace, representing Amies, assured the jury that his client had not sought trouble, emphasizing, “This is a 14-year-old under group attack and having to make terrible decisions under a moment’s notice.” In addition to the murder charge, the jury also convicted Amies of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to the boy whose coat was slashed. The defendant had previously admitted to carrying a blade.
