Teenager armed with 'Rambo' knife jailed for 19 years for murder of Keagan Crimes in Winsford
A teenager who used a 'Rambo III' knife to stab a man to death has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years.
Noel Reade, who is 17 and can now be named after reporting restrictions were lifted, was sentenced after being found guilty of murdering Keagan Crimes.
Keagan Crimes' mother paid tribute to 'our gorgeous, fun loving boy' who was "violently taken away from us'.
The court heard Reade, who was aged 16 at the time, was in Cheviot Square in Winsford on Sunday, 11 October 2020 armed with a weapon, believed to be a 'Rambo III knife.'
He was with a group of four other teens and had sought out two men, who they believed were part of another group of men they had been feuding with.
CCTV shown in the court shows Reade kicking, banging and pushing at the door to get at the men in a store.
While another of the gang was armed with a hammer smashing the glass door of the shop while the men attempted to hold it shut.
In the group was one of the men that had been chased through the shop by Reade, 27-year-old Keagan Crimes and Jason McQuoid.
As the two groups met, the four associates of Reade ran away but he remained, brandishing the knife towards the group that Keagan was part of.
At this point a fight broke out and Keagan sustained a deep stab wound to his chest.
Jason attempted to use a tree branch to swipe at the teen but fell to the floor before he was stabbed in the left shoulder and chest area.
A senior paramedic was first to arrive on the scene and found Keagan lying still and unresponsive on the ground with members of the public putting pressure on the wound.
A medical examination found that Keagan had lost an estimated 33 pints of blood from a single stab wound, which entered his heart near his left shoulder. Experts stated this would have required ‘severe force’ to inflict.
Jason was treated for his injuries and later discharged.
Police used mobile phone data and CCTV images from the incident to track down his killer.
Phone logs showed Reade was at the scene and then after contacting his mother, she arranged for a taxi to collect him from the Cow Lane area of Winsford.
His phone showed he had searched phrases such as "does blood wash off shoes", Rambo III knives and guns.
Two other boys - then aged 15 and 16 - were also charged with affray in relation to the incident.
They were dealt with at an earlier hearing on 21 July, 2021. Both were sentenced to 12 month intensive Youth Referral Order.
Detective Inspector Adam Waller, who led the investigation, said: "I hope in some way, knowing that Reade will be behind bars for a significant time, will bring some comfort to know that we have secured justice for Keagan.”