By Hilary White
MANCHESTER, October 18, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The UK’s Telegraph reports today that a British teenager has been sentenced to life in prison after he stabbed an eleven year-old boy to death when the boy rebuffed his sexual advances.
Michael Hamer, 15, pleaded guilty to murder before his trial started at Manchester crown court. Hamer admitted that on March 1st this year, he had lured 11 year-old Joe Geeling into his house where he attacked him with a frying pan and then stabbed him 16 times with kitchen knives.
Hamer admitted to his own defence lawyers that he had been driven by a sexual obsession and that Joe, who suffered from cystic fibrosis, had called him “gay” and had threatened to tell others. Investigating police found a note in which Hamer made it clear he had wanted to have “bum sex” with his victim.
In sentencing, Mr Justice Richard McCombe said, “Joe, as you accept, had done absolutely nothing to encourage any such advance. The rejection of the advance was the immediate triggering event of what you did to Joe.”
Justice McCombe said that he knew Hamer had been severely bullied at school. His defence counsel, David Steer, QC, said Hamer had targeted Joe “because he perceived him to be weak.” As he stabbed the younger boy “he could actually see the faces of the bullies in Joe”.
Joe Geeling and Hamer attended St Gabriel’s Catholic high school. The court heard that Hamer used the school’s system of older pupils mentoring younger ones to gain access to Joe. Hamer wrote a letter claiming to have been sent by the deputy head teacher in order to lure Joe to his house.
Prosecuting attorney, Alistair Webster QC, said that Hamer had lied to police about the murder and tried to conceal it afterwards. “The murderer targeted his victim, led him away by deception, carried out the killing with significant brutality and set about covering up his crime in what appears to be a surly, calculating way,” said Webster.
Joe’s teacher at St. Gabriel’s school said, “Joe was a lovely, well-mannered boy who is going to be greatly missed by all of his teachers, friends and fellow pupils here at St Gabriel’s.”
Hamer will serve a minimum of 12 years for the murder.