Teenager who stabbed Haverhill 16-year-old Harley Barfield to death detained for 17 years
The teenager who stabbed Haverhill 16-year-old Harley Barfield to death last January has been sentenced to 17 years in custody.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, was sentenced yesterday at Ipswich Crown Court.
He will be detained for 17 years, minus the 345 days already spent in custody, and will spend the rest of his life on licence.
On November 10 he had been found guilty of the murder of Harley at the end of a trial that had lasted for more than four weeks.
He had denied murder but admitted manslaughter and possession of a bladed item in a public place.
Jurors had taken more than 20 hours of deliberation before finally, having failed to come to a unanimous decision, returning a majority verdict of ten to two.
The judge, Justice Thomas Linden, said: "I think that (Harley's girlfriend) spoke for everyone who has been affected in this case when she said that she wished that she could wake up from this nightmare.
"After all what has happened is a tragedy for Harley Barfield and his family and friends, some of whom were also your friends."
The judge also referred to the victim statements read out in court by Harley’s parents Darryl and Bernice, his sister Destiny, eldest brother Jack and by two close friends and his girlfriend.
He added: "It is clear that Harley was very much loved by many people and is sorely missed.
"His death has caused devastation and has made a lasting impact on their lives."
In explaining the sentence, Mr Justice Linden also recalled part of the evidence given by psychiatrist Dr Richard Church, who said Harley's killer had 'showed a stark lack of regret and a lack of feeling towards Harley's family'.
Earlier, Mr Justice Linden had said: "The killing of Harley was premeditated. You acted from a mixture of anger, resentment and a desire for revenge.
"You were determined to go through with it. You deliberately provoked the fight so that you could use your knife."
The youth had stabbed Harley at least 12 times in the car park next to Strasbourg Square in Haverhill on January 9 in what prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC had said was a ‘frenzied attack’.
The knife was found to have been part of a set kept at the killer’s home and had been ditched near a river after the stabbing but later recovered by police.
One of the wounds pierced Harley’s heart and he died at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge two days later due to the extensive blood loss.
The attack had come after months of bad feeling between the two teenagers.
The trial had heard that Harley and his attacker had a long-running dispute over a girl, the bitter nature of which ultimately led to the fateful confrontation.
He had denied intending to meet Harley on the day of the stabbing, saying their encounter only happened by chance, but the jury didn’t believe his account.
An eyewitness had seen the defendant waiting in Rushmere Place, not far from Strasbourg Square, shortly before the stabbing.
It formed part of the route that Harley and some friends took that day to the shops in Strasbourg Square, something that the murder trial heard would have been known to the killer.
Defence barrister, Stephen Rose KC, had argued that Harley’s attacker had not been in the right state of mind at the time of the stabbing, partly because of his autism and partly due to his suffering from anxiety and depression.
Mr Rose also said his client was suffering from traits of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) brought on my being regularly bullied at school because of his autism, something that often resulted in physical fights.
Speaking outside the court after the sentencing, with Jack and Destiny by her side, Harley's mum said: "The last 11 months have been horrendous for me, the rest of Harley's family and his friends.
"Our lives have changed forever but we are incredibly lucky that we have each other to get through it, without Harley and the mass of grief we now carry with us every day.
"No sentence will ever be enough as it is Harley that has lost his life and we are left with a true life sentence.
"I can honestly say that I am completely honoured to have been Harley's mum and I am beyond proud of him.
"He can now finally rest in peace.
"I will never understand, or accept a reason, for why my son, Harley Barfield was brutally killed and unfortunately the boy has not given us an answer either.
"To lose Harley the way I did was horrifying and something I will never get over.
"It has made it all the worse by knowing that it was premeditated and researched.
"He left the house that morning knowing he was going to kill my boy and he launched a completely unprovoked attack on him and he has since shown no remorse.
"Harley did not carry knives, nor was he violent, or aggressive. He, the boy that killed Harley, was known to carry knives and showed an unsettling obsession with them.
"I have started a petition in honour of Harley calling for a mandatory sentence for any individual carrying a knife illegally with the intent to harm.
"We have already received an overwhelming amount of signatures but it still needs a significant amount more to have this discussed in parliament.
"Please sign and share the petition, which is on change.org, we have to do something to stop our children dying on the streets in our neighbourhoods, where they should be safe."
When giving her victim statement earlier, Bernice had said: "Harley was my baby boy.
"I miss him so much my heart is shattered. The physical pain is indescribable.
"My three other children (Destiny, Harrison and Jack) lost their brother that day but they also lost part of their mum
"Harrison feels like he has lost his brother and his best friend."
Harrison turned 18 during the trial, said Bernice, but his A levels studies have suffered since Harley's death.
She also described how her dad - Harley's grandad - had been admitted to hospital one week after Harley's death, and while there died from a cardiac arrest.
"I lost the youngest and the oldest men in my life in the space of four weeks," said Bernice
She described the court process as 'harrowing' and said she had suffered with nightmares and flashbacks since her son was killed.
She added: "Every time I close my eyes at night I see Harley on life support and relive it all over again.
"I will never be the same again, I don’t know who I am any more. I feel totally lost and scared.
"At court I learnt that Harley's last words were a call for help. It was my job as his mum to protect him and I couldn't do that. That is something that will always stay with me knowing he was scared."
Harley, said Bernice, was a 'bubbly and funny' boy, always laughing, adding: "He was the most non-confrontational person. He would always tell people that he loved them."
She said she will now never see Harley grow into full adulthood; learning to drive, starting full time employment, getting married, becoming a father.
She said: "The possibilities for his life were ended and will now never flourish. I miss every part of him, his voice, smile, touch and presence."
Harley's dad, Darryl Barfield also described how much he has struggled to cope with the loss of his son, how he wished he could take his place and how he will never see him grow up and make a 'lifetime of memories'.
He added: "I just wish I could kiss and cuddle my son just one more time but I can't.
"All I have is very nice memories of a beautiful young man who was murdered. Part of me died that day too. There is no recovering from that day."
Harley's sister Destiny and eldest brother Jack also gave emotional accounts of how they have struggled to come to terms with losing him.
Destiny said: "Harley would hate to be remembered as a victim so I try to remember him as the boy he was.
"He was funny and annoying, as a little brother can be, but he was very loyal.
"A big sister's job is to protect their sibling and it breaks my heart to know that I could not do anything to save Harley."
Jack told the court how he fainted when he walked into the intensive care ward at the hospital and saw his brother and how he gave up his job and home in London to return to Haverhill and support his family.
He added: "Although my mum is the strongest woman I've ever met I know what a broken woman she has become."
Outside the court building, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Chapman, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “The impact of those actions have been devastating for so many people; families, friends, the community, witnesses and those so young and very close to Harley who tried desperately to save his life and comfort him, for which they should be proud.
“My thoughts are with Harley’s family and friends who continue to deal with this devastation and whilst today’s sentence will never undo what has happened, I do hope it will give some comfort.
“I want to issue a plea to anyone who believes it is acceptable to carry a knife to think long and hard about the risks of doing so and the impact and devastation this causes. It is not acceptable and anyone who thinks different, I urge you to consider the consequences.”
