PETER NEWBERY SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR CARE HOME MURDERS ON THE ISLE OF MAN
| Red Rose Database
Isle of Man Sexual Abuser
In a tragic and disturbing case that shocked the Isle of Man, Peter Newbery, a 23-year-old man from Willaston, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murders of two vulnerable teenagers at Leece Lodge, a halfway care facility on the island. The heinous crimes took place in February 2002, and the court's verdict was delivered after a comprehensive six-week trial held at the island's Court of Justice in Douglas.
During the sentencing, Acting Deemster Simon Fawcus emphasized the severity of Newbery's actions and his apparent lack of remorse. The judge stated, "I have read the psychiatric and psychological reports on you, and they make sorry reading. There is nothing in them which serves as any form of mitigation for what you did." He further described the reports as providing a chilling insight into Newbery's character, highlighting a life marked by self-centeredness and violence that culminated in these most serious offenses.
Deemster Fawcus condemned Newbery's conduct, asserting, "You have shown not the slightest remorse for taking these young lives. And whatever lives they were leading, they did not deserve to be treated in the way you treated them or to be killed." The court's decision was met with a somber atmosphere, with Newbery showing no emotion as the verdict was announced.
Details of the crime reveal that Newbery attacked Samantha Barton and George Green during a dispute over drugs. The incident was preceded by a day when Barton had invited Green, Newbery, and another friend to her residence to smoke cannabis, and she had also boasted about possessing a rock of crack cocaine. Later that evening, Newbery returned to the house and launched a violent assault, stabbing both victims and strangling them with shoelaces. The attack was particularly heinous, as Newbery also sexually assaulted the teenagers both before and after their deaths.
Following the murders, Newbery left Barton's body at Leece Lodge and disposed of Green's body in nearby scrubland. DNA evidence, specifically bloodstains on the shoelaces used in the attack, linked him conclusively to the crimes. The victims were known to social services and law enforcement on the Isle of Man. Samantha Barton, who had moved from Dublin to the island as a young girl, was living independently in her own flat at Leece Lodge at the time of her death. She suffered from spina bifida and had experienced emotional difficulties since her father's departure from the family home when she was seven. Her troubled history included being placed in care at age 10 and, by age 12, being detained in the juvenile wing of the island's adult prison following charges of assault and criminal damage. Her placement in such a facility at such a young age drew criticism from human rights advocates. After her incarceration, she was transferred to the UK mainland for specialized psychiatric and psychological treatment.
George Green, on the other hand, was described by a magistrate in 1999 as a "one-man crimewave" at just 13 years old. His criminal record included assault, robbery, burglary, and criminal damage. He had spent time at Eden Grove, a specialist residential school in Appleby, Cumbria, but left in December 2001 and refused to return. The school's principal, Ian McCredy, noted that Green was a "popular young man who did very well while with us, and made considerable progress in both his work experience and academic work."
In response to the tragedy, authorities on the Isle of Man have taken decisive action by closing Leece Lodge, vowing that it will not be used as a care home again. The case has left a lasting impact on the community, highlighting the vulnerabilities of at-risk youth and the importance of safeguarding measures.
During the sentencing, Acting Deemster Simon Fawcus emphasized the severity of Newbery's actions and his apparent lack of remorse. The judge stated, "I have read the psychiatric and psychological reports on you, and they make sorry reading. There is nothing in them which serves as any form of mitigation for what you did." He further described the reports as providing a chilling insight into Newbery's character, highlighting a life marked by self-centeredness and violence that culminated in these most serious offenses.
Deemster Fawcus condemned Newbery's conduct, asserting, "You have shown not the slightest remorse for taking these young lives. And whatever lives they were leading, they did not deserve to be treated in the way you treated them or to be killed." The court's decision was met with a somber atmosphere, with Newbery showing no emotion as the verdict was announced.
Details of the crime reveal that Newbery attacked Samantha Barton and George Green during a dispute over drugs. The incident was preceded by a day when Barton had invited Green, Newbery, and another friend to her residence to smoke cannabis, and she had also boasted about possessing a rock of crack cocaine. Later that evening, Newbery returned to the house and launched a violent assault, stabbing both victims and strangling them with shoelaces. The attack was particularly heinous, as Newbery also sexually assaulted the teenagers both before and after their deaths.
Following the murders, Newbery left Barton's body at Leece Lodge and disposed of Green's body in nearby scrubland. DNA evidence, specifically bloodstains on the shoelaces used in the attack, linked him conclusively to the crimes. The victims were known to social services and law enforcement on the Isle of Man. Samantha Barton, who had moved from Dublin to the island as a young girl, was living independently in her own flat at Leece Lodge at the time of her death. She suffered from spina bifida and had experienced emotional difficulties since her father's departure from the family home when she was seven. Her troubled history included being placed in care at age 10 and, by age 12, being detained in the juvenile wing of the island's adult prison following charges of assault and criminal damage. Her placement in such a facility at such a young age drew criticism from human rights advocates. After her incarceration, she was transferred to the UK mainland for specialized psychiatric and psychological treatment.
George Green, on the other hand, was described by a magistrate in 1999 as a "one-man crimewave" at just 13 years old. His criminal record included assault, robbery, burglary, and criminal damage. He had spent time at Eden Grove, a specialist residential school in Appleby, Cumbria, but left in December 2001 and refused to return. The school's principal, Ian McCredy, noted that Green was a "popular young man who did very well while with us, and made considerable progress in both his work experience and academic work."
In response to the tragedy, authorities on the Isle of Man have taken decisive action by closing Leece Lodge, vowing that it will not be used as a care home again. The case has left a lasting impact on the community, highlighting the vulnerabilities of at-risk youth and the importance of safeguarding measures.