Killer who lured best friend to secluded spot where he was stabbed 23 times ... trends now

Killer who lured best friend to secluded spot where he was stabbed 23 times ... trends now
Killer who lured best friend to secluded spot where he was stabbed 23 times ... trends now

Killer who lured best friend to secluded spot where he was stabbed 23 times ... trends now

A killer who lured his best friend to a secluded spot where he stabbed him 23 times, before going on to bury him in a makeshift grave, has been jailed for five years. 

Louis Hackett, 20, lured pal Kieran Williams to a secluded spot where he was buried in a clandestine grave and concealed; covered with sticks, leaves and litter, at a disused industrial estate.

The incident occurred at near the Northern Spire bridge in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, last April.

The 18-year-old's remains were found six weeks later, in June last year. 

Today, Newcastle Crown Court heard how so far those behind Kieran's murder have 'got away with it' and a judge has said 'justice has not been done'.

Kieran Williams (pictured) whose decomposing body was found with multiple stab wounds and buried in a 'grave; at a disused industrial estate more than six weeks after he went missing, murder jurors have heard

Kieran Williams (pictured) whose decomposing body was found with multiple stab wounds and buried in a 'grave; at a disused industrial estate more than six weeks after he went missing, murder jurors have heard

Louis Hackett (pictured), who has been jailed for five years for the manslaughter of Kieran Williams, who was found stabbed and buried in a clandestine grave six weeks after he was reported missing

Louis Hackett (pictured), who has been jailed for five years for the manslaughter of Kieran Williams, who was found stabbed and buried in a clandestine grave six weeks after he was reported missing

Pictured police at the scene where Kieran Williams body was found on the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland in April 2022

Pictured police at the scene where Kieran Williams body was found on the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland in April 2022

Twenty-year-old Hackett, of Fordenbridge Square, Sunderland, was convicted of manslaughter after a trial, by a jury who found him not guilty of murder.   

Prosecutors say Hackett, who has learning difficulties, facilitated the killing as he 'pestered' Kieran to meet him that day, knowing he would come to 'at least some harm at the hands of others' when he arrived at the wasteland. 

David Lamb KC told the court: 'Following the attack, by others, with either one knife or more than one knife, the defendant stood in the grave, next to Kieran's either dead or dying body, while it was set alight by others and assisted, by his own admission, with the filling of that grave.'

Mr Lamb continued to say that Hackett 'persistently lied' in the aftermath of the killing, while Kieran's family worried as police looked for him.

He added: 'His lies were instrumental in the police being prevented from discovering the grave for just over six weeks after Kieran was last seen. 

'He must have known the anguish those close to Kieran would be suffering.' 

Mr Justice Jay told Hackett he was trusted by Kieran, who also had learning difficulties and who he described as his 'best mate'.

He added: 'You played a key role in escorting him to the scene of the murder. 

'You had to persuade him to go out that evening, he was at his mother's home. 

'You knew something untoward was to happen to him, that much is clear from the jury's verdict. 

'However, equally consistent with the verdict, you did not know he would suffer really serious harm, still less that he would be stabbed 23 times in a brutal attack.'

The judge said the jury's verdict also showed that Ben Cook, 19, of Fordfield Road, Sunderland, who was cleared of Kieran's murder and manslaughter, was not the attacker.

Kieran was found in a 0.75m hole around six weeks after going missing from home on April 18 last year, the day he was killed

Kieran was found in a 0.75m hole around six weeks after going missing from home on April 18 last year,

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