Jonathan Rees QC Secures Life Sentence for Boy Who Violently Murdered 14 Year Old Viktorija Sokolova
The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was sentenced to a life sentence and was ordered to serve a minimum of 19 years last Friday.
Jurors heard Lithuanian-born Viktorija was lured to West Park in Wolverhampton late at night after being contacted by her killer on Facebook Messenger who allegedly planned on raping her.
Once there, the pair met at a pavilion referred to as the “black house”, where Viktorija was struck over the head at least 21 times causing multiple fractures to her skull and spine. Many of the worst injuries were delivered with a hammer-like weapon that has not been found.
Following the killing, the youth was caught on CCTV as he attempted to cover up the offence by hiding clothing, having already deleted Facebook messages and hurling his victim’s phone towards a lake.
Despite the mobile phone evidence, the defence had suggested Viktorija’s parents may have played a part in her death after it emerged microscopic traces of her stepfather’s semen were found in her underwear. But the pair were eliminated from police inquiries at an early stage, and forensic experts suggested the transfer of her stepfather’s DNA was via innocent means.
The jury unanimously convicted the defendant of murder after a trial at Wolverhampton Court in December and the minor was sentenced on February 22nd.
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