Clacton: Teenager jailed after murdering Harry Burkett

The teenager, who cannot be named by law, stabbed 21-year-old Harry Burkett once through the heart after a short-lived confrontation in Orwell Road, Clacton.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard the killer stabbed Mr Burkett in Clacton on the evening of Saturday, September 11 last year.

He denied murder, instead claiming self-defence, but was convicted following a trial before a jury of six men and six woman.

READ MORE: 'Harry Burkett stabbing captured on CCTV'

He was also convicted of possessing an offensive weapon.

The Gazette attempted to lift reporting restrictions in a bid to identify the teen, but its application was rejected by Judge Charles Gratwicke.

In its application, this paper argued the public interest in naming the teen defendant outweighed concerns for his welfare.

The application said: “There is a strong public interest in deterring young people who may consider carrying a knife in public – be it for the perceived purpose of their own protection, or with the intention of use in violent confrontations.

“There is a strong public interest in identifying the person responsible for this killing, drawing a final line under a case which has caused irreparable devastation and chaos to Mr Burkett’s family and loved ones.”

But during the trial, the court was told the teen had been made the victim of modern-day slavery and was forced to hold packages for drug dealers.

Giving evidence during the trial, he said he felt unsafe in Clacton as the group knew where he lived.

“If I did anything wrong, I knew they’d come to my house and harm me or my mum,” he said.

READ MORE: Teenager who stabbed young man 'was victim of modern slavery'

Judge Gratwicke said: “Bearing in mind all I have read and heard [about the defendant], this court does not accede to that application.”

Sentencing the teenager today, Judge Gratwicke said he had “plunged” a knife into a 21-year-old who “had everything to live for”.

He said: “His family are and were devastated by his death.

“They have lost their beloved nephew, grandson and uncle. The effects of your actions that night will live with them forever as they mourn his loss and seek to come to terms with the void that has been left in their lives, which can never be filled by any sentence this court passes upon you.”

Harry Burkett

The teenager will serve at least 12 years detention before he can be considered for parole. He will remain on licence for the rest of his life.

During the trial, the Crown relied on extensive CCTV footage seized by the police during their investigation.

The analysis of the footage followed Mr Burkett through Clacton as the night progressed.

Mr Burkett had initially travelled to Clacton from Grays earlier that day alongside a friend, in order to meet a girl he had been talking to for three weeks.

Later in the evening, police believe a disagreement took place between Mr Burkett and one other, which led to a chase.

Mr Burkett was confronted by the teenage killer in Orwell Road, where he was stabbed with the knife.

Echoing comments previously made by a previous Lord Justice, Judge Gratwicke said: “A death in such circumstances as this outrages and horrifies the collective conscience of the community.”

He added: “The use of knives on our streets is rife.”

A tribute to Mr Burkett, watched over by Essex Police officers

But he accepted there had been “a lack of pre-meditation”, with the stabbing unfolding over a matter of seconds.

He also accepted the teenager “was entitled to defend himself” after CCTV footage showed Mr Burkett advancing on the teen with a bottle in hand.

But he said he had responded with “excessive force, plunging that knife into his chest”.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Burkett’s family said: “It’s been over six months since Harry died, but it still feels like yesterday, and we’re all as emotionally fragile as we were then.

“We will remember something about Harry, then laugh about it, then immediately cry realising he’s gone forever.

“Never again will he be able to keep us amused with funny and weird jokes.”