Holly Newton: Gateshead teenager appears in court charged with murder of ‘bright and bubbly’ 15-year-old

A Gateshead teenager has appeared in court charged with the murder of Holly Newton in Hexham after a stabbing in the Northumberland town on Friday evening.

The 16-year-old boy, who was arrested at the scene on Friday, January 27 cannot be named for legal reasons but appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

He was asked not to make any pleas during the brief hearing as the case was sent to Newcastle Crown Court due to the severity of the allegations. The teenager is charged with murder, attempted murder and having a knife.

The boy spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address as he wore a grey prison tracksuit.

District Judge Paul Currer said: “The allegations against you are very serious. For that reason, you can’t be dealt with in this court. I am going to send your case to the crown court.”

Emergency services attended the scene in Hexham shortly after 5:10 pm on Friday where they found the boy and girl – aged 16 and 15 – had suffered serious injuries consistent with having been caused by a bladed article. They were both taken to hospital but sadly, despite the best efforts of hospital staff, the girl – Holly Newton – died as a result of her injuries. The boy remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Read more: Residents with ‘shivers down spine’ after suspected murder of 15-year-old girl

Today, the family of Holly paid tribute to a 'bright and bubbly' teenager who was a talented dancer with her life ahead of her.

The heartfelt tribute read: “Holly was such a bright and bubbly girl who was so passionate about her family and many friends. She was a much-loved daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece and cousin.

“Holly was always a popular girl, who was loved by so many people – not just in Hexham – but all over the North East. Holly also loved dancing and was so talented – and a big part of her spare time was spent at classes and taking part in competitions up and down the country.

“She had her whole life ahead of her and we are still coming to terms with the fact that our beautiful and loving girl is no longer with us. Rest in peace to our baby girl – we love you so much and our lives will never be the same without you here. You touched so many hearts and you will be missed beyond words by all of your family and loved ones.

“As a family, we would like to thank everyone in the community for their support and kind words. We now respectfully ask that we are given the time and privacy to grieve, as we process what has happened.”