COUNCIL TAKES 'VERY DIFFICULT' DECISION

A MAKESHIFT shrine marking the spot where tragic teenager Gordon Gault collapsed after being fatally stabbed has been removed.

- By SOPHIE DOUGHTY

The 14-year-old died in hospital six days after he was seriously injured with a machete during a violent clash in Newcastle’s West End.

Gordon was carried from the scene of the fight, near Elswick Park, to nearby Sovereign Place where he collapsed.

In the days weeks and months after his death, in November 2022, Sovereign Place became a focal point for Gordon's grieving loved ones.

Friends and family members would regularly visit the spot to leave flowers, balloons and messages for Gordon. And a colourful graffiti-style mural bearing Gordon’s name and date of birth was painted on a wall.

But now, less than three years on from Gordon’s death, council staff have removed all the flowers and tributes and scrubbed the mural from the wall, replacing them with a memorial tree chosen by the teen's family.

Newcastle City Council says it took the difficult decision to remove the memorial in consultation with locals after the spot became linked with incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour, prompting residents to raise concerns about the memorial its future.