A 16-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a teenage girl who was stabbed to death in Northumberland.
Holly Newton, 15, of Haltwhistle, was found injured in the Priestpopple area of Hexham shortly after 5.10pm on Friday and later died in hospital.
A 16-year-old boy, who was also taken to hospital, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Another 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon and will appear before magistrates in Newcastle on Monday.
The suspect and the victim were known to each other, police have said.
Northumbria Police said: “Holly still had so much left to look forward to in life, and this tragic incident has left her family devastated beyond words.
“Our thoughts are with both families involved and their loved ones as we continue to support them in every way we can.
“The investigation is ongoing, and we would like to thank the people of Hexham – and beyond – who have greatly assisted with our inquiries and shown their support.
“While our inquiries continue, we do believe all those involved are known to each other and there is no wider risk to the public.
“Officers will remain in the area over the coming days, and we would encourage anyone with concerns to speak directly with them.”
A candle-lighting service has been held at Hexham Abbey so people could pay tribute to Holly, who lived in Haltwhistle, a market town about 15 miles west of Hexham.
Hexham mayor Derek Kennedy said everyone in the town, which was named the happiest place to live in Great Britain last year in a study by Rightmove, had been “knocked everyone for six”, following the incident.
On Sunday, he told the PA news agency: “The whole town is still coming to terms with this, it’s been a massive shock.
“I was at Hexham Abbey where they’ve held a service for Holly, I lit a candle as did other people to pay tribute.
“A young girl who’s just starting life and attending the local high school, starting her education and getting out there, it’s just terrible, as a town we pay tribute to her.
“It’s going to have a big impact on all the schoolchildren when they go back on Monday because one of their own won’t be coming back ever again.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereCommments are closed on this article