'Pack of animals' who hunted down and murdered Lewis jailed for a total of 54 years

VIOLENT DRUGS GANG CHASED VICTIM TO HIS DEATH

- By ESTHER HALLIGAN Court reporter [e-mail]

A GANG of three who chased down a man “like a pack of animals” before one of them stabbed him to death, have been jailed for a combined total of 54 years.

Sean Mcleod, Liam Matthews and Ashton White all denied killing Lewis Bell, 26. Mcleod, 23, was convicted of murder after standing trial in March. Matthews, 26, and White, 18, were found guilty of Mr Bell’s manslaughter.

Their friend Macauley Wright, who was particularly close to the Bell family, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender before the trial began. He called a taxi just over an hour after Mr Bell was killed so he, Matthews and White could leave the area.

Mcleod, of no fixed address, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years for the murder. When he is released he will be on licence for the rest of his life. He was given a concurrent four-month prison term for his driving offences and disqualified from driving for three years.

Matthews, of Quenby Road in Billingham, was handed an extended 18-year prison term. The manslaughter sentence is made up of 15 years in prison and three years on licence in the community. He will serve two-thirds of the 15 years before he can be considered for release.

White, of Renvyle Avenue in Stockton, was handed a 10-year sentence in a young offenders’ institution for manslaughter. He will serve two-thirds before he is released.

Wright, of Humewood Grove in Stockton, was handed a three-year prison sentence for assisting an offender; and for his driving offences. He was disqualified from driving for 42 months.