Law lords reject killers' claims

Tyrone Clark was attacked by a mob in the Beeston area of Leeds

The mother of a murdered teenager said she was "overwhelmed" after judges in the House of Lords ruled her sons killers must stay behind bars.

The four were convicted of killing Tyrone Clarke, 16, who died after a mob attack in Beeston in April 2004.

Islamur Rahman, 21, was given a minimum term of 12 years; Anjum Amin and Kamer Akram, both 22, a minimum of 11 and Liaquat Ali, 17, a minimum of nine.

Five judges in the House of Lords said their convictions were safe.

Tyrone, who was of mixed race, was stabbed three times as he and his friend Raffael Lovick, 18, were chased by a group of Asian youths.

'Joint enterprise'

The gang cornered Tyrone in Brett Gardens, Beeston, and attacked him with makeshift weapons, including baseball bats, poles and planks of wood.

The judge at the original trial said he did not consider it had been a racial attack.

The court had heard it was probable none of the four had struck the fatal blow. But they were convicted on the grounds of "joint enterprise".

Speaking after hearing the House of Lords ruling, Tyrone's mother Lorriane said the decision was one she had waited a long time to hear.

"I was overwhelmed, it was the decision I've been waiting for, and I was quite confident about the outcome.

"I can never put Tyrone's death behind me because I don't have Tyrone

"My son's dead. His killers will get out one day.

"The sentence wasn't big enough, no matter what sentence they got it would never be... I have the life sentence."

Ms Clark added that her daughter, Shannon, eight, had asked her why?

"I don't have those answers, I don't have the answers as to why her brother isn't here," she said.

She said her daughter thought people who carry knives should be locked up "forever".