Holly Newton’s killer, ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail, named for first time

Fifteen-year-old Holly Newton was murdered by her “jealous” ex-boyfriend, it can now be revealed.

Holly was repeatedly stabbed in an alleyway in Hexham, Northumberland, by Logan MacPhail in January 2023.

MacPhail, who was 16 at the time, had anonymity during his murder trial but ahead of sentencing, Judge Sir Nicholas Hilliard KC lifted reporting restrictions following an appeal by media groups, including the BBC.

Holly’s parents said their daughter’s killing should be classed as a domestic violence offence rather than a knife crime.

MacPhail, now 17, had turned up uninvited at Holly’s home in Haltwhistle the night before the killing and stalked her through Hexham for almost an hour before he attacked.

The pair met at army cadets in Consett and were in an “on-and-off” relationship for 18 months, which ended days before the killing.

Holly’s family said he was controlling and prosecutors described the relationship as “toxic”.

Holly’s mother Micala Trussler had arranged a meeting with Northumbria Police to discuss her fears about him for the evening of 27 January, but Holly was killed hours before it could take place.

MacPhail, who lived in Birtley, left his school in Gateshead at lunchtime that day and travelled by bus to Hexham.

That morning, Holly had told friends he was “basically stalking” her and feared he would be waiting outside her school, Queen Elizabeth High School.

MacPhail exchanged messages with a friend of Holly’s in which he lied about where he was to hide the fact he was in Hexham and asked her to “trick” Holly into meeting him.

After Holly left school with friends, MacPhail, who was wearing all black with a cap and snood concealing his face, tailed her for more than 45 minutes as she visited a leisure centre and shops.

CCTV footage showed him following her before he confronted her at a bus stop outside Pizza Pizza on Priestpopple at about 17:00 GMT.

After speaking for several minutes, Holly followed him into an alley beside the pizza shop where he launched a vicious attack.

Several members of the public intervened to pull him off her and he told one of them Holly had been “horrible” to him.

At his trial, he claimed he wanted to meet Holly to give her some of her possessions back, including slippers, clothes and teddy bears, but he did not have them in his backpack.

He also said he wanted to talk to her to find out if “everything was done with” and admitted he became “jealous and upset” when he saw Holly with friends, including another boy.

MacPhail initially told the murder trial his mind was “blank” during the attack and he was trying to kill himself with the knife, not Holly, although the court heard he did not have any injuries.

But he then admitted he was “angry” and deliberately stabbed her, although he went on to retract his admission.

Holly had 36 knife wounds to her head and body and died from catastrophic blood loss.

The 8cm (3in) blade of the kitchen knife, which the killer had taken from his home, broke during the attack.

Another youth who tried to stop the attack was stabbed four times, with MacPhail also found guilty of wounding.

The BBC applied for the reporting restriction, which was put in place because MacPhail was under 18, to be lifted.

Mr Justice Hilliard said MacPhail had been convicted of “grave crimes” which were of local and national concern” but the “key factor” of the killer’s relationship with Holly could not be reported during the trial “lest it might identify him”.

The judge said it was “impossible to have a full and proper understanding of the case and of why the defendant behaved as he did without knowing this factor”.

He said there was “great public concern” about young people carrying knives and “violence to women and girls” and legitimate debate was aided by the public knowing the “full detail of the offences”.

A two-day sentencing hearing is due to begin on 31 October.