To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Rising gang violence is turning some peaceful towns into no-go areas, a judge has warned after yet another teenager was murdered in a ‘completely senseless’ tit-for-tat stabbing.
Alfie Hammett and Joshua Howell, both 19, have been jailed for life for killing 18-year-old Ray Quigley, known by his middle name James, in Ipswich on January 17 last year.
The victim had travelled from Wymondham to meet friends and was walking through the town when they encountered Hammett and Howell, who were each wearing masks and carrying a machete.
Hammett attacked the teenager, stabbing him four times, while Howell initially ran at one of his friends before the two attackers fled in opposite directions.
James managed to stagger into a nearby shop where onlookers desperately gave first aid until paramedics arrived but two of the wounds proved fatal and he died at the scene.
Prosecutor Andrew Jackson told jurors at Ipswich Crown Court the murder was motivated by a ‘deep-rooted’ rivalry between gangs in the town.
Raymond James Quigley was stabbed to death in Ipswich at the beginning of last year (Picture: Suffolk Constabulary)
Alfie Hammett and Joshua Howell were both found guilty of his murder and jailed for life (Picture: Suffolk Constabulary)
James was associated with the ‘OTM’ gang, standing for ‘Only The Money’, while Hammett was linked to their rivals the ‘3rdside’ gang.
Howell was allied to the Nacton gang in Ipswich – also known as ‘IP3’ – which the court was told had formed a co-operation with ‘3rdside’.
Jailing the killers, Judge Martyn Levett said: ‘This gang violence is blighting the historic peacefulness of towns, making them unsafe to visit.
‘Time and time again, I’ve said in open court that the sentencing remarks of judges need to be reported so the public become more aware about the dangers of knife crime.
‘Knife crime has no place in modern society and should not be glorified. These knife crimes bring fear to communities.’
Hammett and Howell were both found guilty of murder and jailed for life with minimum terms of 24 years and 20 years respectively.
James’s mum, Margaret Oakes, said her family ‘is never going to be complete again’ after her son’s killing.
More Trending
Speaking to the BBC after the court case, she said: ‘Life is absolute hell at the moment. It feels like I’m just existing.’
She said Hammett and her son grew up in the same area and knew each other ‘very well’ and speculated that the killer always ‘had it in’ for her son.
‘They were all friends at one point,’ she added.
While James had friends who were members of OTM, Ms Oakes said her son was not in the gang.
‘James did not know this was coming to him. He did not go up there for a fight,’ she said.
‘It was in front of him before he realised. He didn’t have a chance to defend himself – it is so upsetting to know that.’
CCTV released by police after the sentencing shows James walking through the town centre minutes before the stabbing.
CCTV footage tracked both killers’ movements before and after the stabbing (Picture: Suffolk Constabulary)
Howell’s huge blade was clearly visible when he was captured chasing one of James’s friends through a shop during the attack (Picture: Suffolk Constabulary)
Footage then shows Hammett leaving home and making his way to meet Howell, with the pair also seen walking through the same area.
Howell can be seen brandishing his huge blade while chasing one of James’s friends through a nearby shop, with both killers also shown making separate escapes from the scene.
Detective Chief Inspector Tam Burgess said: ‘This was an horrific and completely senseless act of extreme violence that has resulted in the death of an 18-year-old man who had his whole life ahead of him.
‘I am still staggered by the brazen way in which Hammett and Howell committed this heinous crime in such a public place, with numerous members of the public around and in full view of CCTV cameras.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.