Three teenagers have been sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow for the murder of 16-year-old Kayden Moy on Irvine beach in North Ayrshire. Cole Turley, 18, admitted the killing, while Jay Stewart, 19, and a 15-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons were found guilty of murder following a trial. Lord Scott sentenced Stewart and Turley to a minimum of 16 years in detention, and the 15-year-old to a minimum of 14 years.
Father's statement
Speaking outside court, Kayden's father Paul Moy said: "Every birthday, every family gathering, every milestone from now on will be a reminder that he should be here with us. That is the life sentence our family has been given. The choices made that day have devastated our family forever." He added: "We hope today's sentence sends a clear message that violence has devastating and irreversible consequences."
The attack
Kayden was fatally stabbed on Irvine beach on May 17 last year after the three teenagers acted together to attack him. Turley, Stewart and the 15-year-old were members of the Murray Boys group, while Kayden and others were part of the Himshie group in East Kilbride. The teenagers took a train to Irvine after discovering through social media that Kayden and his friends were among a large group of teenagers there. They armed themselves with a lock-back knife and a cosh hidden in clothes and a backpack.
Trial evidence
During the trial of Stewart and the 15-year-old, Kayden's girlfriend Keryn Knox said Kayden had gone up to confront the teenagers. She told the court: "I went up with him to try and stop him. At that point he had run up the hill and he was just shouting stuff back. Then Cole ran in from the side and Kayden has seen a blade and when he tried to run he slipped, and when he tried to get back up Cole has stabbed him in his left lower side twice." Medics battled to save Kayden's life but he died at Crosshouse Hospital early the following morning.
Sentencing remarks
Lord Scott told the teenagers they had gone to the beach with the intention of carrying out an attack on a member of the Himshie group. "All three of you travelled to Irvine beach armed, and your intent was reprisal for some slight hurt caused to someone associated with your group," he said. "Kayden Moy's death was pointless and unnecessary. Your victim could have been any one of the Himshie group, but Kayden was the one who slipped and fell." He said after the stabbing they had tried to conceal their involvement in this "appalling crime".
Prosecutor statement
Moira Orr, who leads on homicide for the Crown Office, said: "The three accused, all teenagers, made themselves potential murderers the moment they armed themselves with at least one knife. And murderers they became. One of them – Cole Turley – struck the fatal blow but prosecutors proved that all three were part of the planning and execution of the crime."
