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Daily Record
Daily Record
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Jess Glass & Jon Hebditch & Danya Bazaraa

Teenagers killed after being stabbed up to 47 times during birthday party gang knife rampage

A house was turned into a 'blood bath' after two teenagers were murdered and two others stabbed during a birthday party knife rampage.

Three men and two youths killed the pair of 17-year-olds by stabbing them to death during the party.

Ben Gillham-Rice was knifed six times in the living room while pal Dom Ansah was subjected to a 'frenzied' attack suffering 47 wounds as he ran from the home, the Daily Mirror reports.

Ben was knifed six times during the attack (Thames Valley Police)

Two others were left with serious but not life threatening injuries.

The attack on October 19. 2019 in Milton Keynes left the splattered living room looking like a 'blood bath' or 'scene of carnage', a court has heard.

Ben Potter and Jamie Chandler, both 17, were sentenced at Luton Crown Court to minimum terms of 22 years behind bars for the murders.

Reporting restrictions have been lifted in this case allowing us to report their names.

Earl Bevans, 23, Charlie Chandler, 23, Clayton Barker, 20, were also given life jail terms with minimum terms of 27 years, 27 years, and 28 years respectively.

Jamie Chandler, 17, was sentenced to 22 years (Thames Valley Police)

Asked before sentencing if it would bring him any closure, Ben's father Jason Rice told PA: "It gives you a little bit, maybe, of that chapter's over, knowing that the people who (have) done it are behind bars, but no sentence will be enough."

Dom's mother Tracey Ansah, who said: "We just survive, every day. There's no meaning to it, because he's not a part of it.

"So no sentence will ever be long enough, and it's not something you will ever recover from."

Ben Potter, 17, was also caged (Thames Valley Police)

During the trial the jury heard that the males had been members of the B3 gang and had planned the assault on hearing members of the rival M4 gang were there.

Mr Justice Spencer said: "The all too familiar background to these senseless and tragic killings was rivalry between gangs of young men, and the culture of violence and knives promoted on social media."

Charlie Chandler was convicted in court last month (PA)

The judge added: "The violence that night escalated way beyond anything that had gone before.

"You, Clayton Barker, Ben Potter and Jamie Chandler, were enthusiastic members of the rival B3 gang.

"You, Charlie Chandler and Earl Bevans, were not members of B3, but you were closely associated with those who were and willing to lend your support that night in this revenge attack as part of the ongoing feud."

Prosecutor Charlotte Newell QC said the group stormed into the rear of the house in Archford Croft shortly after midnight, armed and with their faces covered.

Earl Bevans who admitted two counts of murder (PA)

She said: "The male party-goers were targeted and the attack upon them was immediate and ferocious.

"They had little or no time to react and little or no chance of protecting themselves.

"Within seconds of the arrival of the defendants' group, one young man was dead, two had been sliced with a knife or knives, causing serious, but mercifully not fatal injuries and a fourth was running for his life."

Clayton Barker, 20, (PA)

A post-mortem showed Ben had suffered injuries including a 20cm deep wound damaging his heart.

Dom was chased down and "hacked", jurors were told, suffering 47 injuries and dying in hospital three hours later.

Miss Newell said: "He appeared to have been a particular focus of the defendants' attention and he did not get away.

"Having run from the house he circled back into the street pursued by two of the defendants, where he slipped, thereby allowing the attackers to gain ground upon him.

"He was repeatedly sliced and stabbed as he lay on the ground."

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Bosley, of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “This has been a very large murder investigations in the history of Thames Valley Police, and I am pleased that we have brought these five dangerous offenders to justice.

“I would like to thank all of our investigation team, officers and staff, who worked diligently and professionally throughout the last 15 months to ensure justice was done.

“I would also thank all of the family liaison officers in this case, who have been with the families of the victims every step of the way, helping them to deal with the enormity of what has been a journey that no family ever deserves to go through."

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