The mother of a murdered teenager has condemned the family of his killer for “laughing in the face of justice”.

Vicious thug Edward Redman, 18, faces a lengthy prison sentence after he was found guilty of stabbing Jay Whiston to death after a 13-week trial, which ended this week.

The killer’s dad, brother and ex-girlfriend were all convicted of destroying evidence in an attempt to protect him.

Halstead pair Gary Redman, 51, and John Redman, 19, hid mobile phones and deleted hundreds of messages, along with the murderer’s ex-girlfriend, Shannon Fenlon, 19.

They refused to give evidence during the trial.

Jay’s mother, Caroline Shearer, said: “They are oxygen thieves and are a waste of life - they need to be made an example of as a deterrent to others.

“They have laughed in the face of justice and tried to pervert the course of justice - they should be in prison for life."

See today's Halstead Gazette for the full story