5th-April-2008
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 | Men's rights activist | | | |
Judge's knife warning as he jails killer mother aged 17 | |
Quote:
A judge warned yesterday how carrying knives can rapidly turn petty teenage rows into killings as he sentenced a young mother for murder.
Dimple Scaife was 17 when she plunged a kitchen knife through the heart of her 19-year-old boyfriend Jake Mackay in a fit of jealousy.
They had a child together but their relationship was on-off and Scaife had discovered he was seeing another girl.
Judge John Milmo QC told her that she would serve at least 12 years for the murder.
He added: "The sad reality is that if you carry a knife, there is the real danger that the pettiest of teenage disputes can all too quickly turn into a tragedy."
His words were a direct quote from a statement made last week by a youth service boss after another teenager's death.
Sharon Cohen, of Westminster City Council, had been commenting after the fatal stabbing of a 14-yearold boy in West London when an argument spiralled out of control.
His death took the number of teenagers killed in London this year to 11 and fuelled growing fears over the scourge of knife crime.
Judge Milmo said Miss Cohen's comment "might have been made for this case".
He also repeated another quote, in which she said: "We would urge all our young people not to carry any sort of weapon."
The judge said: "With that I entirely agree and so, I am sure, would anyone who listened to the evidence in this tragic case.
"To take a knife, even for protection, is fraught with danger. Trouble erupts, the knife comes out and what would otherwise have been a fight with fists turns into a fatal attack, which is precisely what happened here."
Scaife, now 18, had earlier been detained at Her Majesty's pleasure when found guilty of murder in January.
Yesterday, the judge ruled that she must serve at least 12 years before being considered for release.
Leicester Crown Court heard that in the early hours of December 21, 2006, she was called by Ashley Rossi, 17, who was also seeing Mr Mackay.
She challenged Scaife to a fight and the teenage mother and an accomplice went armed with knives.
When the other teenager failed to turn up, Scaife, of Leicester, went to confront Mr Mackay.
She inflicted a 4in stab wound through his heart and he died in hospital soon after.
Witnesses described Scaife making threats to kill Mr Mackay, but the judge accepted they had been made in the heat of the moment.
He said: "You were a stupid young girl, out of your depth and unable to apply any rational thinking. You saw him, you stabbed him and as he lay dying on the pavement, you went off with your stepfather."
The court heard Scaife had called 999 twice after the stabbing and had showed remorse.
Sir Ivan Lawrence QC, defending, said she was from a dysfunctional family and had been provoked by Mr Mackay's physically and mentally abusive behaviour.
Last night, the victim's mother Kathy Mackay said of the sentence: "I do not think it's a strong enough deterrent to stop young people from carrying knives and guns because when they do the slightest argument can lead to tragedy."
Scaife's accomplice, who was 14 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, was earlier cleared of the killing.
| Judge's knife warning as he jails killer mother aged 17 |
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