Teenager jailed for Dursley murder
17 year old Josh Hall was stabbed to death at a sports ground last year
A sixteen-year-old boy has been sentenced for the murder of fellow teenager Josh Hall last year.
Harley Demmon, 16 and of Church Road in Cam, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court this morning, Friday 4 February, and was handed a minimum term of 14 years in prison for Josh’s murder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
He will also be on license for life and recalled to prison if he reoffends upon his release.
The sentencing follows a three-week trial in October which ended with a jury taking just over three hours to reach their verdict.
Josh, 17, suffered multiple stab and slash wounds during an attack at the Cam Sports Ground in Dursley on Friday 16 April 2021.
He was operated on by emergency services at the scene, but died the next day at Southmead Hospital in Bristol after a wound in his abdomen proved to be fatal.
Demmon, who was 15 at the time, had arranged for himself and Hall to meet at the playing field to settle their differences following a feud over social media, however events escalated almost immediately as the offender fatally stabbed Hall a number of times.
After the stabbing, he called a significant number of people before ultimately calling 999 to report what he had done. Despite this he continued to deny killing Hall throughout the trial and also plead not guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
At one stage the teen openly admitted to casually carrying a kitchen knife as if he would a mobile phone and it was found that he acquired the weapon after stealing it from a friend.
A pathologist examined Hall's body after his death and found that he had sustained six sharp force injuries. These were present on his abdomen, hands and arms.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent John Turner said: "We all too regularly see the impact that the murder of a loved one can have and I would like to highlight how Josh's amazing family remained so dignified throughout the whole process.
"Everyone from the Major Crime Investigation Team would like to highlight the assistance that we received from the whole community of Dursley and Cam as well as the massive outpouring of love and support they gave.
"The death of a young person in these circumstances has had a huge impact but there has been a continued sense of willingness from the community (of all ages) to engage with the police, which enabled the investigation team to understand and present what had happened to the jury.
“This ultimately resulted in them reaching the guilty verdict within three hours and I hope that this will allow the Hall’s to have some form of closure in knowing that their son’s killer is behind bars."
Josh's parents Mike and Kirsty Hall spoke about the impact of his murder adding: "Losing one of our children in such a horrific and utterly unnecessary way has completely derailed the course of our lives.
"Time is doing little to dull the aching sense of loss and deep pain we feel along with disbelief at the hatred and disregard for life displayed by Josh's killer.
"He has condemned those who love Josh to a lifetime of pain for nothing, for no gain and no purpose other than his own violent self-gratification.
"We are relieved that Josh's killer is now rightly behind bars and no longer an immediate danger to society however we are still left with a life sentence without our son and brother.
"The void left behind by Josh's murder can't be overstated and we feel his absence in every moment.
"We would like to express our continued thanks to Gloucestershire Constabulary, in particular the Major Crime Team, the staff of the Crown Prosecution Service, the members of the Courts Voluntary support team and our family liaison officer as well as all of those who have helped fight for justice for Josh.
"We are forever grateful for the thorough work completed by all and the care and support shown to us at every stage."
Sergeant Garrett Gloyn from the Stroud Neighbourhood Policing Team also said: “I’ve personally met Josh's parents, Kirsty and Mike, who have my deepest condolences but also my admiration for the strength and character they have shown in trying to make sure that nothing like this happens again in Dursley or Cam.
"The local Neighbourhood Policing Team as a whole saw and felt the effects of the awful murder of Josh. It’s been our privilege to contribute to the investigation and to see the way that members of community have come forward to assist the investigation and to promote better community safety in the future."
Joanne Pearce, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said: “The prosecution’s case was that when he went to meet Joshua that day the defendant brought a knife with the intention of using it. His deliberate use of that knife against Joshua resulted in the heart-breaking and tragic loss of a young life.
“As a consequence of a knife being carried a family has experienced the loss of a much-loved son and a brother. The defendant will now be imprisoned for the rest of his youth and a significant part of this adult life.
“The case also highlights a profoundly negative impact of social media use by teenagers, with its instant nature leading to disputes that can escalate very quickly.
“Joshua’s family have shown incredible strength throughout the legal process and our thoughts are with them, and with Josh’s friends, as this case comes to its conclusion.
“The CPS is committed to working with our criminal justice partners to tackle knife crime and we will prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”