Teenager denies murder of Tomasz Oleszak after Gateshead tragedy

A teenager has denied the charge of murder after the tragic death of Tomasz Oleszak in the Springwell Estate area of Gateshead last October.

Emergency services were called to an incident on October 3 last year, where they found 14-year-old Tomasz injured with a wound consistent with that of a bladed article. The teenager died in hospital during the early hours of the following morning.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and a 13-year-old girl on suspicion of assisting an offender at the time, and today the boy, now 15, appeared at court.

The accused cannot be named for legal reasons but appeared alongside his mother at the dock of Newcastle Crown Court to deny the charge of murder and a charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent on another youth.

The teenager did admit to a third charge of carrying a bladed article in a public place at Whitehills Nature Park in Gateshead last October.

The person accused of killing Tomasz had previously appeared in court on October 10 when the court was instructed that a psychiatrist would be producing a report to see whether the teenager is fit to plead. The hearing was first adjourned to November 8 and then to today.

A date for the trial has been provisionally set for Tuesday, March 21 and is expected to take up to 10 days.

Following the death of Tomasz, a vigil was held in the Springwell Estate with purple balloons and candles being laid out to honour the teenager. Schools in the area have also received specialist emotional support and football coaches at the youngster’s football club, Cleveland Hall CA, have helped to raise over £26,000 for his family. The fundraiser is still open for donations and can be found here.