This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A 17-year-old has admitted murdering a lawyer who was stabbed with a screwdriver as he walked through a shopping centre on his way home from work.

Peter Duncan, 52, sustained a fatal chest wound at Eldon Square in Newcastle on 18 August.

The teenager, who cannot be named by the media due to his age, appeared via video link from Wetherby young offender institution to admit murder, as well as stealing screwdrivers from Poundland and possessing an offensive weapon.

Northumbria police said the murder was unprovoked and described it as a chance encounter. They arrested a group of teenagers in the hours after the attack.

The day after the murder, Duncan’s family said: “Peter was a kind and caring man who was always first to help others. He was a devoted father, husband, son, brother, uncle and friend and loved by all who knew him. His death will leave such a huge hole in our lives and he’ll be deeply missed by us all.

“Words can’t quite describe what life will be like without him. He had so much of his life left to live and he’ll be in our hearts and thoughts every day.”

The boy wore headphones for the hearing, which was linked to Leeds crown court, where the judge and prosecution barrister were sitting, and to Newcastle crown court, where his defence barrister was present.

He will be sentenced in December after psychiatric and psychological reports are prepared.

The judge, Andrew Stubbs QC, told him: “The appropriate form and length of your sentence will be decided at the start of December when the necessary reports have been prepared and served on the prosecution and defence.”