Basildon teenager jailed for perverting course of justice

Harrison Barnett, of St Marys Crescent, Basildon, had helped Tieran Carmody while a manhunt was underway to locate him after the attack near a children's play area.

Carmody, 19, stabbed 35-year-old Max Richardson near Joyners Field, Harlow, on Monday August 21 last year after Mr Richardson had confronted the teenager for loitering around properties near to his home and making children in the area feel uncomfortable.

Victim - Max Richardson (Image: Essex Police)

Mr Richardson was on the floor with his hands held up in a surrendering motion when Carmody stabbed him through the stomach. Witnesses described the attack as "calm and deliberate".

Images of Carmody were analysed and released to the public before the killer was captured on CCTV at a shop in Pitsea, and leaving a pub in Benfleet alongside 19-year-old Barnett, in the days following the murder.

Caught - Barnett and Carmody on CCTV leaving a pub in Benfleet (Image: Essex Police)

A police investigation revealed Barnett had provided shelter to Carmody, allowing him to use his phone to speak with friends and family, and to conduct internet searches.

On Barnett’s phone, police found searches for news articles covering the stabbing as well as a search querying how a person can leave the country without a passport.

Barnett denied a charge of perverting the course of justice but stood trial alongside Carmody and was convicted. 

Cordon - The scene of the murder in Joyners Field, Harlow (Image: Essex Police)

At today's sentencing hearing, held at Southwark Crown Court, Barnett was jailed for a year and six months. This included a three-month prison term for breaching a suspended prison sentence he was already serving. 

Carmony was jailed for life for Mr Richardson's murder and will serve a minimum of 26 years before he can be considered for parole.

Detective Chief Inspector Ashley Howard, of Essex Police's serious crime directorate, said: “Max’s family have sat through a difficult trial with dignity and restraint, now speaking of the impact of this horrific crime.

“Their lives have been torn apart. Their loss cannot be put into words.

Murderer - Tieran Carmody (Image: Essex Police)

“It is my hope that the knowledge Carmody, and his accomplice Harrison Barnett, have been brought to justice and put behind bars, will help them move forward as best they can.

“Tieran Carmody murdered a stranger, for no other reason than the fact that stranger had dared to stand up to him.

“From the outset of this investigation, my team has worked hard to establish the facts, to gather the evidence and to ensure a concrete case was put before the jury.

“There is never a good reason to carry a knife in public, particularly a knife of this horrifying nature, and no world in which it can be justified.”