Peter Duncan stabbed in ‘chance encounter’
A teenager has pleaded guilty to murdering an in-house solicitor with a screwdriver.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted attacking Peter Duncan, 57, last month outside a branch of Greggs in Newcastle’s Eldon Square shopping centre.
The solicitor, who was working as legal counsel for multinational maritime firm Royal IHC Limited, which has offices a short walk away from where the incident took place, was stabbed once in the chest in what police described as a “chance encounter”. Duncan later died of his injuries at Royal Victoria Hospital.
Duncan’s LinkedIn profile shows that he studied law at Northumbria University and spent eight years with Newcastle law firm Dickinson Dees (now Womble Bond Dickinson).
Appearing at Leeds Crown Court via video link, the unnamed youth also admitted stealing screwdrivers from Poundland and carrying an offensive weapon.
Judge Andrew Stubbs QC reportedly told the teen, who turns 18 next month, that “the appropriate form and length of your sentence will be decided at the start of December when the necessary reports have been prepared and served on the prosecution and defence.”
In a statement last month, Duncan’s family said he was “a kind and caring man who was always first to help others”.
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