"Baby-faced killers could be free in seven months"

"THE girlfriend of a Sheffield man beaten to death by two baby-faced killers in an unprovoked attack today slammed their "disgusting" and "diabolical" sentences after learning they could be free in just seven months.

Partially-blind Colin Greenwood, aged 45, who was registered as disabled, died after teenage thugs Lewis Barlow, 15, and Leon Gray, 16, repeatedly punched him and stamped on his head.

The thugs, from the city's Winn Gardens estate, were found guilty of murder, detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure and told they must serve at least 12 years behind bars.

But their convictions were quashed at the Court of Appeal and they won the right to a retrial.

Yesterday, before their case was put to a jury for a second time, they admitted manslaughter on the grounds they caused Mr Greenwood's death but claimed they had not intended to.

They were jailed for four years each and told they must serve half their sentences - but because of the time they've served on remand, they could be free in seven months.

After the hearing Mr Greenwood's visibly shaken partner Tracey Beechill, 40, said she would never recover from the tragedy.

Ms Beechill, who is the mother of Mr Greenwood's children, said: "He should have locked them up and thrown away the key. They can carry on their lives and ours have been destroyed.

"They didn't just hit him once. They hit him several times and then they have gone on and bragged about it.

"I am not satisfied with today's outcome. My children have lost a good father and will never be with him again."

The savage pair, who were both 14 at the time of the attack in April last year, beat up the partially sighted father-of-four as he made his way to his Dryden Road home in Southey Green.

He was punched to the ground, kicked and stamped on and although he managed to get up and board his tram and a bus he later collapsed and died from massive head injuries.

Afterwards the pair were heard bragging.

Peter Kelson QC, prosecuting, described the assault as "a brutal kicking attack which led directly to his death".

He said Mr Greenwood, who had been visiting the home shared by his long-term partner and their children, was set upon by the yobs as they stood at the tram stop with friends.

One eyewitness said Mr Greenwood was "cowering" and repeatedly shouting "no".

He was punched to the floor by Barlow and Gray threatened to stab him with a penknife.

Barlow, who has a previous conviction for battery, stamped on his ribs and head and Gray admitted one kick.

As the teenagers walked away he managed to get up but fell back and smashed the back of his head on the road.

Robert Smith QC, for Barlow, said he admitted the attack and inflicting injuries gratuitously but could not be held accountable for every injury. He "seriously disputed" the severity of the assault.

Icah Peart QC, for Gray, said the offence was committed on the spur of the moment."

I personally found this very shocking - and my thoughts go out to the family of the victim.

shocking, but in this country not surprising.

they will probably be given thousands in compensation for their awful time inside!!!

as the song from years ago said -

"the lunatics have taken over the asylum"

i wonder what the heck the family must be thinking...

Just for clarity, here is the link to the story in the Star.

Little kids or not, intentionally killing should be 10 years min.

Little kids or not, intentionally killing should be 10 years min.

That's the point. They have now been convicted of manslaughter, i.e., unintentional killing, on appeal.

They previously had been told to serve at least 12 years behind bars for murder.

My sympathies go to the victim's family too.

Very sad & unfair.

When are the rights of victims going to be considered before the criminal in our joke of a legal system?

This story has made me feel sick.

My heart goes out to the family.

When are the rights of victims going to be considered before the criminal in our joke of a legal system?

When the victim who has been slaughtered is the off-spring of some out-of-touch High Court Judge or member of parliament.

Imagine Gordon Brown's wife being the victim of something like this?

You bet this sickly government's 'protect-the-criminal-at-all-costs' approach (and Cherie Booth's Human Rights Law, a.k.a. the Criminal's Charter) would be nullified or altered in an instant.

I normaly have a lot to say about stuff like this but tbh, on this occasion i cant.

This just makes me feel sick.

My heart goes out to the family:(

this is quite sickening, what on earth is going on with the legal system in this country????

Time will come and we will have anarchy on the streets of this country, you can kill someone and get a ridiculous soft sentence. A driver got fined £85 for killing someone, yet someone got a £700 fine for putting rubbish out early. All the system is concerned with is making money and not getting the real criminals and locking them away. I read last night a council is introducing wardens to make sure you have your engine turned off in a traffic jam to help the carbon footprint, if you don't switch off then a £20 fine.

This from another story in todays Star-

"Judge Robert Alan Brown sentenced him to 256 days' imprisonment for assaulting the police officer, but he was freed straightaway because he had served 128 days on remand"

Thats a coincidence isnt it- 256 days imprisonment, exactly twice what he'd spent on remand...