Promising' Stoke City youth player, 18, jailed for life after he admits murdering girlfriend, 15, by stabbing her 60 TIMES at a house party

A 'jealous' Premier League footballer was today given a life sentence after admitted butchering his 15-year-old girlfriend - stabbing her a staggering sixty times.
Andrew Hall, 18, who played for Stoke City's academy, pleaded guilty to murdering Megan-Leigh Peat at a house in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, on June 9 this year.
Megan was found stabbed at the house after emergency services were called in the early hours.
The pupil at Harlington Upper School in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, was covered in blood lying on the floor with dozens of stab wounds.

Arrest: Andrew Hall, 18, who plays for Stoke City's under 18 team, has been charged with the murder of Megan-Leigh Peat, 15, right, who was stabbed to death at a house party in Ampthill, Bedfordshire

Murdered scene: The semi-detached home in Bedordshire where Hall butchered Megan after she returned from a night out in June this year

Hall relentlessly stabbed her 60 times in the head, neck and upper chest. Two knives, including a serrated bread knife, were found next to her body.
Judge Richard Foster gave Hall a life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years at Luton Crown Court today.
Shockingly, the court heard Hall attacked his girlfriend after mistaking her friendship with another man for an affair, despite her protesting her innocence.
Sentencing the killer at Luton Crown Court, Judge Richard Foster said Hall had 'cruelly' robbed Megan of her life and 'thrown away' his promising soccer career.

 

The judge said: 'Megan was a bright, normal, gregarious 15-year-old with her whole life ahead of her.
'You so cruelly took that life. She will never experience the thrill of successful exam results and further education, bring bridesmaid at her best friends wedding or her 18th birthday party.
"You brought her life to an end at the tender age of 15.
'It is clear that you were jealous of her seemingly innocent friendship with others. Megan talked about you accusing her of cheating on you.
'In a text message to a friend she said: 'I love him more than anything, but I can't deal with it anymore.
'In a text message to you she wrote: 'You do not trust me so what is the point in being together?
'She said 'I'm scared' to a friend. It was a vicious and relentless attack by you stabbing Megan some 60 times.'

Bright future: Megan wanted to train as a midwife. She was 'popular' and 'bubbly' with many friends

He added: 'I accept the murder was not premeditated. You have thrown away a promising career as a professional footballer.
'Remorse is an over used word in this court, but clearly in this case it is an appropriate word to use.'
He said to Megan's family: 'I hope today's events and finality of the criminal proceedings will bring some comfort to the family and friends of Megan and at least be the start of a very long healing process.'
Megan's family sat in the empty jury box and had tears in their eyes throughout the hearing.
In a statement released by her family, they said: 'Today we are satisfied that Andrew Hall has pleaded guilty to this offence. The day Megan died will be forever etched in our memories, it was the day our lives were torn apart.
'Megan was a healthy, vibrant, loving and caring person who was very much loved by all her family and all her many friends. She had her whole life ahead of her.
'Before her untimely death we were an ordinary family leading an ordinary life. Since that fateful day our world has changed beyond recognition.
'The pain of losing our beautiful daughter and the tragic and awful way she died will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Megan was loved so much and will be missed forever.
'We would like to thank all Police forces involved for their support, especially our family liaison team.'

Luton Crown Court heard Hall stabbed Megan as many as 60 times with a 19.5cm bread knife - found with a broken handle - and a 14.5cm fish knife he got from the kitchen at a friend's house close to the pub where they had been drinking with friends.
Drunk Hall was more than two-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit when he launched into the attack, stabbing his young girlfriend in the head- and severing her nose. Iain Wicks, prosecuting, told the court Megan's jugular artery was found severed, her jaw fractured and she had deep chest wounds into her lungs.

Slash wounds on her arms suggested she had been trying to defend herself from the onslaught, which was so frenzied police found indents in the laminate floor where Hall had plunged the knives.

The sportsman, who was on the brink of signing a professional contract with Stoke, had been spotted rowing with Megan the night she died.

Grief: Friends of 15-year-old Megan-Leigh Peat arrive to lay floral tributes at the scene of her death

Sad: A friend of Megan lays flowers for her outside the house where she was stabbed

Tragic: After leaving her tribute to Megan the teenager is led away

The victim, who had been seeing Hall for eight to ten months was dropped off at the Bumblebee pub in Flitwick, Bedfordshire, around 7pm to watch a Euro 2012 match.
The couple began arguing via text message and were seen on CCTV together having a dispute outside the pub at 8.35pm. The court heard the argument was fuelled by Hall's jealousy and mistrust of Megan, with the footballer overheard calling her a 'slut' and yelling 'why do I bother?'

Megan left the pub after the argument and asked a male friend to give her a lift home - further fuelling Hall's jealousy and leading to him sending a flurry of angry text messages.
The court was told Megan arrived home and said goodnight to her mother and step-father, telling them Hall had been 'a d*** again.'
Megan's mother thought she was in her bedroom texting Hall, but instead she had got a taxi to go and meet him to sort things out.
The couple were having an argument via text message as Megan travelled back to the White Heart to find him. Megan texted Hall saying: 'You cannot trust me. That is not love.'

Mr Wicks told the court that the relationship between Hall and the teenage girl had a 'darker side.'

He said: 'Megan complained to her mother and friends about Andrew Hall's jealous behaviour.

'He comes from a loving supportive family. Noone can believe what he did that night.'
Peter McCartney, defending Andrew Hall

'Megan's mother harboured a concern that the relationship was making the both of them unhappy to such and extent and so often there was a question in how long the relationship would last.

'After the text argument on June 8, her mother thought Megan was preparing to end the relationship.'

The couple had borrowed Hall's friend Haydan Edwin's keys and left the pub together saying they were bored. Tragic Megan was last seen alive at around midnight holding hands with Hall.
Later the same night, at 1.30am, on June 9, Hall burst into the White Heart pub in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, covered in blood saying he had killed his girlfriend.
Outside the pub Hall, dressed in a top and jogging bottoms and covered in blood, was heard saying: 'Oh my god, what have I done? I really, really loved her. I'm sure I have killed her.'

Hall was heard by police saying: 'I think I have killed my girlfriend. I love her so so much.'

Mr Wicks said: 'He was in severe and obvious distress, alone and having been intoxicated with drink.
"At first he appeared to be saying he had been involved in a fight. But gradually he was to say he had killed someone. He said he had ruined his life and career as well as her life.'

Police found Megan's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood on the floor of the living room of Haydan Edwin's house, in nearby Ailesbury Road.
Mr Wicks told the court: 'She had a large number of stab injuries - at least 60 in number. They were in the head, neck and chest area.

'Examinations showed the knives had entered very deep at part of the head, facial features, including severance of the nose. She suffered catastrophic injuries and lost a large amount of blood.
'Megan never showed any signs of life. She was pronounced dead at the scene.'
A post mortem examination found she died from blood loss. Hall was taken to Bedford Hospital for treatment on his hands and transferred to Lister Hospital for emergency surgery on his left hand.
When he was waiting for an x-ray at Bedford Hospital police overheard Hall asking: 'Is she dead?'

Mr Wicks told the court Hall was estimated to have had 193mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system at the time of the killing. When he was tested at 3.10am the killer had 140mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood - the equivalent of one and a half times the legal driving limit.
Peter McCartney, defending, said Hall had been player of the season for his team before the attack and had suffered a 'catastrophic loss of control.'

He said: 'There was jealously. Jealousy creeps into relationships, more particularly in relationships of the young. He comes from a loving supportive family. Noone can believe what he did that night.

'He had a promising career ahead of him. He is conscious that he has taken the life of a young woman and is deeply remorseful of that. He is at a loss as to how he could have killed her. He says he will regret it for the rest of his life.'
The court heard how Hall was arrested by police on the morning of the murder, but could not be charged as he was taken to hospital to be operated on for a serious cut to his left hand.

He was charged with murdering her on June 13 when he was well enough to be interviewed by police.
Hall was a scholar at Stoke City academy at the time of the murder, and the court heard he was on the brink of signing as a professional player with the club.
Shortly after Miss Peat's death earlier this year Stoke City confirmed that Hall had been arrested.
Hall plays for the Stoke City under-18s team. He scored a crucial goal earlier this year to send his team through to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.
Hall, who grew up with his brothers in a modest £170,000 semi-detached house in Flitwick, Bedfordshire, had played for Premier League Stoke's under-18s side.
However, the midfield starlet was almost certain to have enjoyed a professional career - even if it meant dropping to lower leagues to secure a regular first team place.
Hall's profile was missing from the list of under-18 players on Stoke's official website today just months after he scored a crucial goal to send his team through to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.
Hall's family filled the public gallery and his mother was helped to her feet after the judge handed down the sentence.