A man who attacked a teenager with a piece of wood and a bicycle chain in 2006 has been sentenced to life in prison after his victim died from an epileptic fit 16 years later. Jordan Burton, who was 14 at the time of the incident, received a minimum sentence of 10 years.
Daniel Allright, then 16, was attacked by Burton and up to four other teenagers in Deptford, south-east London, on September 13, 2006. Burton struck Mr. Allright on the head with a piece of wood during the assault, which occurred as the victim and his friends were being robbed of their bicycles.
Mr. Allright suffered severe head injuries and internal bleeding, requiring two operations, including the insertion of a titanium plate to relieve pressure on his brain. Jurors at the Old Bailey heard that Mr. Allright experienced his first seizure in 2007, with his epilepsy worsening in the months before his death.
On March 26, 2022, Mr. Allright, then 31, was found deceased in his bath by his mother. A post-mortem examination determined that post-traumatic epilepsy was the cause of death. The court was told he had complained of a headache and had suffered a seizure earlier that day.
During the murder trial, Burton denied wrongdoing, though he had previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder and unlawful wounding in 2008. The court heard he has 14 convictions for 28 offences. The judge noted Burton's age at the time of the attack and acknowledged that no sentence could compensate for the loss suffered by Mr. Allright's family.
Mr. Allright's mother described him as having "a heart of gold" and noted that despite his prolonged suffering, he remained positive and was a devoted father to four children. She expressed the enduring pain of his death, stating, "The day I found my son dead in the bath will never leave me."