Teenagers found guilty of skate park murder in Nottingham city centre
A man was hit in the face with a brick
Last updated 27th Jun 2024
Two teenagers have been convicted of murder after a man was hit in the face with a brick on a skate park in Nottingham city centre.
Kai Howitt and an unnamed 13-year-old boy both armed themselves with pieces of masonry and hurled them at Jack Edwards from close range.
While one of the pieces missed, the other struck the 24-year-old straight in the face – leaving him with injuries that ultimately took his life.
Jack was hanging out on a skate park in Sussex Street, opposite Nottingham College, when he became embroiled in an argument with a group of young people.
Howitt, then 18, and his 13-year-old unnamed accomplice, were among those involved in the confrontation, which took place over several minutes from around 6.50pm on 5 December last year.
As the argument became more heated, Howitt was one of several members of the group that was seen to throw objects in Jack’s direction – with all the missiles missing their target.
The 13-year-old then picked up two pieces of masonry from the ground – handing one to Howitt and keeping the other for himself – before moving back across the skate park.
Both then moved towards Jack as he was backing away, and simultaneously threw the objects at him from only a couple of metres away, with one of the missiles knocking Jack to the floor.
The attackers then ran away from the skate park, while Jack was left lying on the ground with significant head injuries.
Jack was initially tended to by passers-by, until paramedics arrived at the scene soon afterwards.
He died in hospital two days later, despite the best efforts of hospital staff.
By that stage, Howitt had conducted multiple internet searches for news about the incident, while the 13-year-old was found to have searched how many years in prison a person could receive for ‘bricking’ someone.
These checks were uncovered by detectives soon afterwards, after police trawled through extensive amounts of CCTV footage to identify and charge the two people behind the fatal assault.
After denying killing Jack, both defendants were found guilty of murder by a jury today following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
Howitt, 19, of Trent Boulevard, West Bridgford, and the 13-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, are due to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 15 July.
Detective Inspector Clare Gibson, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said:
"Jack’s senseless murder has left his family completely devastated.
"Following the attack, the defendants ran off, leaving Jack dying on the floor.
"They both knew what they had done but neither has ever admitted their guilt.
"I would like to pay tribute to Jack’s family and the enormous dignity they have shown throughout this ordeal.
"While our investigation can never ease their pain, I hope that the conclusion of this trial provides them with some comfort now these offenders have been found guilty for their crime."