Murderer sees sentence extended after phones found
FamilyAn 18-year-old who was detained for murdering a man on a canal towpath has had his sentence extended after two mobile phones were found in his cell.
Ronnie Bevan and another teenager were sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2022, for killing 26-year-old Peter Cairns from Telford and a third teen was sentenced to 11 years.
Bevan, who was 15 at the time of the murder, can now be identified because he is 18 years old. He pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing an item in prison without authority.
On Tuesday, Telford Magistrates' Court added an extra 12 months to his sentence, which he is serving at HMP Stoke Heath near Market Drayton.
West Mercia Police said Bevan was found to have a Zanco type phone - known for being very small - and an iPhone and hidden in his cell on 6 September last year.
Prison Crime Investigator Det Con Joanne Heyes, said: "I am pleased with the sentence given to Bevan as it sends a strong message that if anyone serving time in prison is found with a mobile phone we will take action."
Cairn's who had ADHD and was autistic, was found injured near Stonebridge Close, Telford, on 11 June 2021 and later died in hospital.
He had been stabbed with a kitchen knife on Rough Park Way while he was fixing his moped with a friend.
The court heard Bevan had been on his way to a pre-arranged fight in the Woodside area of Telford when they came across Cairns and his friend.
The victim's family said he had been stabbed with such force that the knife snapped.
Archie Prestridge, who was 16 at the time of the murder, was also found guilty of murder during the trial and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Leo Pickford, who was also 16 at the time, pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 11 years.
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