Jack Edwards was smashed in the head by a brick (Picture: PA/BPM Media)
Two teenagers including a 13-year-old boy have been convicted of murdering a man in a skate park in Nottingham.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and Kai Howitt, 19, attacked 24-year-old Jack Edwards with a brick following a confrontation in July last year.
Jurors were told Mr Edwards, who been released from prison earlier in the day and was with a friend, made ‘offensive and crude’ comments to two teenage girls known to the defendants.
Prosecutors said he appeared to have been ‘propositioning’ them and making ‘sexual remarks’.
One of the girls then called the 13-year-old boy, who had been with them earlier, and he returned to the park with two other males.
Howitt also caught wind of the incident and arrived at the skate park wearing a hood and mask.
Following a confrontation with the youths, Mr Edwards, who was 6ft8 tall, retreated to another area of the park, removed his bag and shirt, and returned.
Edwards, 24, had been released from prison on the day he was attacked
CCTV footage showed the group pelting him with objects including a brick, which ‘missed by a mile’ and split in two upon hitting the ground.
The 13-year-old then picked up the two halves and handed one to Howitt while closing the distance with Mr Edwards, who was now trying to back away.
The pair then threw them at the victim from close quarters ‘virtually simultaneously and with force’, prosecutors said.
One of the pieces struck Mr Edwards in the head, knocking him to the floor, and he died in hospital of catastrophic brain injuries two days later.
Edwards was attacked at Sussex Street Skate Park near Nottingham College (Picture: BPM Media)
Jurors heard the 13-year-old bragged about the murder afterwards and Googled how long jail sentences for ‘bricking’ someone are.
After a friend texted him ‘Kai bricked that yute,’ he replied: ‘I did it as well.’
Another friend referred to him as ‘little murder’, to which he responded with a laughing emoji.
In a statement released at the time of the murder, Mr Edwards’ family said they were devastated by his loss: ‘We are still trying to process what has happened and comprehend the fact that Jack is no longer with us.
‘He was only 24 years old. It is difficult for us to put into words the emotions we are feeling right now but we are devastated.
‘He was much-loved, and leaves behind a mum, a dad, a brother, a sister and many other family and friends.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Source:: Metro
