Willington teenager guilty of murdering Craig Yorke

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3enewqzz0do

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Jack Lawson was convicted of murder at Teesside Crown Court

A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a father-of-two.

Jack Lawson, 18, from Surtees Drive in Willington, County Durham, was convicted of Craig Yorke's murder in Eldon Lane near Bishop Auckland on Thursday.

He had bought a knife to a planned fight with another man in December and ended up stabbing Mr Yorke instead, in an "outburst of extreme violence", Durham Police said.

Three other men and a boy were acquitted following a seven-week trial at Teesside Crown Court. Lawson will be sentenced on 7 October.

Mr Yorke, 28, was stabbed three times during the attack on High Street in the early hours of 14 December, and died a short time later.

Despite the efforts of emergency services and passers-by who had answered his call for help, he died a short time later from his injuries.

The police investigation uncovered phone messages about a planned fight and found further calls and messages that showed that Mr Yorke was not the intended target.

Craig Yorke was not Lawson's intended victim, police said

A Durham Police spokesman said: "Lawson was intent on seeking retribution that night, arming himself with a weapon and had planned what he was going to do.

"He knew what the consequences of these actions could be yet carried on regardless."

Mr Yorke's family asked people to remember his fun-loving character.

"He was the life and soul of the party, always putting others before himself," a family statement read.

The family spoke out against knife crime, saying it had destroyed their family.

"Our message is to leave the knife at home – there are always consequences to your actions," the statement added.

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