TWO teenagers were waking up behind bars as convicted murderers today - after knifing a boy to death at a 16th birthday party in a trivial row over Xbox games.
Detectives said the murder, on Sheffield's Parson Cross estate, was symptomatic of a society where carrying weapons was a "plague" among youths with "minimal contribution to make to society".
Dale Robertson was stabbed in the heart and lungs, and kicked as he curled on the ground, then filmed by a yob on a mobile phone as he lay dying in the street.
Seaon Thompson, now 16, was convicted of murder alongside Reece Mendez, 18, of Yewgreave Crescent, Ecclesfield, after a nine-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court.
Thompson, of Lydgate Lane, Crookes, was just 15 at the time of the attack and a schoolboy footballer for Sheffield United.
Jurors convicted Thompson and Mendez on the grounds of joint enterprise, unable to decide who delivered the fatal blow.
Two other teenagers were convicted of violent disorder - Spencer Jessop, 17, of Crowder Avenue, Southey Green, and Travis Hurst, 18, of Browning Drive, Foxhill, who was cleared of murder.
Police said all were part of the self-styled 'Parson X Crew'.
READ MORE IN OUR SPECIAL REPORT:15 years ago youths were a nuisance, now they're armedLoving brother too lively to diePart truths of witnesses'Dale's family told The Star that one of the youths who swarmed as Dale lay dying lifted up his top to film the bleeding knife wound on a mobile phone. Dale's own phone, and a ring given to him by his sister, were later found to be missing from his body.
The Recorder of Sheffield Judge Alan Goldsack QC told Thompson he must serve at least 10 years behind bars and Mendez 11-and-a-half. Hurst, who had been armed with a metal pole, received two years' detention and Jessop 10 months - the maximum either could have received.
Judge Goldsack told the youths the fatal attack in Rokeby Drive last September "arose out of something trivial" and added: "Decent people living in the street were horrified."
Dale, 18, from Ecclesfield, was set upon by dozens of youths - his family claim up to 40 - some of whom hit him with pieces of wood and metal while others kicked him before he was stabbed.
He had been called to the street to deal with trouble at a 16th birthday party, where Xbox computer games had been stolen.
Judge Goldsack told the four convicted teenagers: "Many more than you four armed yourselves with weapons, pieces of wood, and metal, and many others used their feet. Most of you have done your level best to evade conviction. None of you has shown remorse."
Judge Goldsack slammed "many witnesses" who had "quite clearly not been telling police or the court all they knew".
Det Supt Richard Fewkes, head of South Yorkshire Police's major incident team, said the motivation for murder was "such a trivial issue" and blamed youths without decent role models.
After the sentencing, Dale's mum Denise Robertson called for tougher sentences. Three out of the four convicted youths had previous, lesser, convictions, and she said: "If we don't come down on them hard the end result is what happened to us. We don't want other children killed."
Julie Hanwell, of Ecclesfield, mother of Dale's father's partner, said: "We have been robbed of Dale in such an inhumane way. He did nothing wrong."
Thompson had twice received reprimands for ABH, most recently in February 2008, for picking on someone he knew from school.
Hurst had committed threatening behaviour, while Jessop had previous convictions for being drunk and disorderly and affray. Only Mendez had no previous convictions.
Three other youths - 18-year-olds Jonjo Broad, of Knutton Crescent, Parson Cross; Shaun Pryor, of Deerlands Avenue, Parson Cross; and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons - were all found not guilty of violent disorder.
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