Jordan Burton, 34, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years for the murder of Daniel Allright, who died in 2022 after suffering an epileptic seizure 15 years following an assault in Lewisham, south-east London.
Burton was just 14 when he inflicted a severe head injury on Mr Allright, then 16, during an attack by a group of youths in September 2006. He was convicted of murder on Tuesday at the Old Bailey and sentenced the following day.
Attack in Lewisham
The court heard that Mr Allright was struck on the head with a length of wood and a bicycle chain. He had been cycling with two friends after leaving his home in Oscar Street when a group of males attempted to rob them in Friendly Gardens.
A black male, identified by Mr Allright as Burton, challenged him to a fight before being handed a piece of wood, which he used to strike Mr Allright repeatedly. Two white males then joined the assault, attacking him with weapons while Mr Allright tried to shield himself with his arms raised.
The group fled when a member of the public emerged from a nearby shop and intervened. Burton initially denied involvement but pleaded guilty to violent disorder and unlawful wounding in 2008.
Death and conviction
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told the court that Mr Allright experienced his first seizure in March 2007 and was prescribed medication, though his epilepsy deteriorated significantly in the months before his death. He died aged 31 at his home on 26 March 2022 after a fatal epileptic seizure in the bathroom.
A post-mortem examination found no indication of drowning or natural illness, with post-traumatic epilepsy identified as the cause of death.
Throughout his trial, Burton, of Achilles Street, Lewisham, maintained his innocence, telling the jury he had been pressured into confessing to the assault in 2008.
Family statements and sentencing
Mr Allright's mother, Geraldine Henderson, said in a statement read by the prosecution: "He had a heart of gold. He had a positive attitude to life. He was never bitter or angry about his situation. I'm very proud of my son Daniel for his achievements in life."
She added: "For 16 years I watched my son Daniel have thousands of seizures. For 16 years my son Daniel was surviving every day. I will never get over losing my son."
His sister, Victoria Henderson, said: "We watched him fight every day to live. He wanted to live but his life became survival mode. Watching your baby brother go through hell for year upon year... watching him die by degrees over more than 15 years... that broke our family."
Nick Corsellis, defending, said Burton was selected by Crystal Palace Football Club as a potential athlete at age seven, with the club providing "a very positive setting for him". Burton was released by the club at 13 due to injury, which meant "suddenly he had so much time on his hands".
Judge Anthony Leonard KC said: "The whole incident between you lasted for a matter of minutes and ended with you hitting Daniel Allright with the stick, in my judgment more than once." He noted Mr Allright underwent two operations and spent weeks in hospital, then was "subject to regular and debilitating seizures".
Outlining aggravating factors, the judge said Burton had gone to the park to smoke cannabis before the incident, used a piece of wood as a weapon, the offence was committed in the context of group violence involving at least three others, he took the leading role, and it took place in an area where there were members of the public. Burton received a life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years.
