Fourteen-year-old arrested on suspicion of murder after teenager killed in Gateshead

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a boy of the same age in Gateshead on Monday night.

Emergency services attended reports of a teenage boy in the Aycliffe Crescent area of the Springwell Estate, Gateshead being seriously injured.

The 14-year-old was found to have an injury consistent with having been caused by a bladed article and was taken to the hospital where he passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

An investigation was immediately launched, and a 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody.

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old girl has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and also remains in custody.

A police cordon is in place at the scene and specialist officers are searching the land of Whitehills Nature Park for evidence.

Chief Superintendent Helena Barron said: “A teenage boy has sadly died and his family have been left devastated beyond belief. Our thoughts are very much with his loved ones at this time and we are supporting them in every way we can.

“We are determined to find out exactly what happened and a full investigation is ongoing into the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.

“We have arrested two teenagers in relation to the incident and officers remain in the area to carry out a range of enquiries and offer reassurance to the community.

“While incidents of this nature are rare in our region, whenever they do occur we are committed to bringing those responsible to justice.”

She added: “We would ask the public not to speculate on details of the investigation.

“What might seem like an innocent post on social media to you, could in reality disrupt an on-going investigation and cause further upset to the family of the victim.

“We would ask that if you did see something or have information in relation to what has happened, please come forward directly to officers.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log NP-20221003-0995.