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Baby-faced killer Ewan Ireland can today be unmasked as the youth who murdered solicitor Peter Duncan in cold-blood in Eldon Square.

Until now, the identity of the savage teenager has been protected by a court order which banned us from publishing his name while he was under 18.

Now, after Ireland reached adulthood and the reporting restriction expired, he can be identified for the first time.

The killer is currently in custody awaiting sentence for the senseless and unprovoked stabbing of Mr Duncan in the shopping centre on August 14.

During an earlier hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, it was revealed Mr Duncan was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when he encountered the then-17-year-old thug, who already had 31 previous convictions, including for violence.

(Image: Northumbria Police)

Mr Duncan is said to have raised his arm to let Ireland past and he took exception, a scuffle broke out and he plunged a screwdriver into his heart in front of shocked shoppers and commuters on a Wednesday teatime.

Ireland, of West Avenue, Westerhope, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to murder and will be given a life sentence in December.

Much-loved Mr Duncan was heading for the bus home from work when he had the misfortune to encounter the angry teenager, who was armed with a stolen screwdriver and looking to confront another youth.

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He had fallen out with the other teenager over cigarettes and was waiting for him to turn up in the area of Old Eldon Square , having stolen screwdrivers from Poundland to arm himself.

As Ireland left the shopping complex and was about to confront the other lad, Mr Duncan was going in, on his way to the bus concourse to head home.

The 52-year-old lifted his arm to allow Ireland to get past and the thug inexplicably took exception and ended up murdering him.

Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw told the earlier hearing: "As the deceased was walking into Eldon Square, the defendant was walking out and they came into contact with each other inadvertently.

"The deceased raised an arm to allow the defendant to get past and the defendant took exception to that, took hold of the deceased and a struggle ensued.

"The deceased pushed him away, at which point he then stabbed him a single blow with a screwdriver, causing a wound which pierced his heart.

"The deceased walked away a short distance before the effects of the injury took hold and took effect and he collapsed to the floor."

The youth ran off and the murder weapon was later recovered from another area of Newcastle after he was traced through the city centre on CCTV and seen discarding it.

When interviewed by police, he denied he was responsible for the murder.

Mr Wardlaw said: "The CCTV shows him clearly agitated before the offence

"The Crown say the deceased was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ireland pleaded guilty to murder, having an offensive weapon, namely a screwdriver and theft of screwdrivers from Poundland, all on August 14. He will be sentenced in December and was further remanded in custody.

The court heard he has amassed 31 convictions between 2017 and 2019, 18 of them while on bail and seven breaches of court orders.

In August 2017 he was convicted of battery, criminal damage and threatening with a blade.

He was at home drunk and began arguing with his family and armed himself with a knife, which he took from the address and chased a family member down the street with it.

On January 10 last year, he was convicted of affray and having an offensive weapon in public.

The offence, which happened in December 2017, happened aboard a bus in the West End of the city.

Ireland and other youths were drinking alcohol and the bus driver approached him and told him they couldn't drink on the bus and that they would have to leave.

He became threatening and abusive before producing a craft knife and threatened the bus driver with it.

At the time of the murder, he was on bail for affray after an incident in June last year during which a co-accused allegedly tried to cut someone's Achilles tendon in Exhibition Park.