The father of murder victim Danny Humble told his killers’ sentencing hearing their “cowardly actions” will haunt his family for the rest of their lives.

Vaughan Humble was speaking from the witness box at Newcastle Crown Court before the five teenagers responsible for his son’s death were sentenced to a total of 38 years’ in custody.

They were part of a gang attack on Mr Humble as he and his partner were returning home after a night out in Cramlington, Northumberland, shortly after lockdown restrictions were lifted, in May 2021.

The fatal attack, involved punching, kicking and stamping on Mr Humble, caused catastrophic head injuries from which the 35-year-old father-of-two died the following day in hospital.

It was sparked by what was called, “an over-familiar” remark by one of the youths that Mr Humble resembled Ant McPartlin, of Ant and Dec fame.

Read more: Danny Humble: The five teens today jailed for Cramlington dad's death

Mr Humble’s parents Deborah and Vaughan addressed the court to outline the impact their son’s death has had on the family.

Mr Humble senior, said his family is now “incomplete”, after his son, "was snatched away from us in the most violent, dreadful circumstances from which we can never ever recover.”

He said it had left a, “void in our lives.”

“Our family are reluctant to laugh and enjoy life and are apprehensive of the pity we see from other people.

“Danny was loved by so many. He was caring, loving and compassionate.

“Above all he was loved and adored by his heartbroken children, an eight-year-old boy and six-year-old girl.

“The catastrophic impact caused by the loss of their daddy will stay with them and have a real bearing forever more.

“We will pick up the mantle and continue to teach them the values Danny thought were important in life.

“We will impress on them to be kind and loving and treat others with dignity and respect.

“We will never see again his love of life and his dazzling six-million dollar smile.

“What we do see are the dreadful images and sounds of Danny being attacked and, when defenceless, being punched, kicked and stamped to death.”

Speaking of the killers, he told the court: “Their cowardly, evasive actions have caused an unbearable event to be magnified a million times and will haunt us for the rest of our lives.”

Deborah Humble described her son, an ardent Newcastle United fan, as a “devoted dad”.

She said the day he died, on May 29, last year, “my life turned black.”

"Danny’s death has destroyed us all in different ways.

“He was my first boy, my son, my friend, a piece of my heart.

"Life has changed since the trial and verdict, it’s become a lot harder.

“I was thrown into a nightmare I was unable to get out of.

“Danny was a one-off. He could twist me round his little finger with that smile and a joke.

“My heart breaks for Danny now.”

She said the “futility and brutality” of his killing, which his children will eventually learn about, is “too hard to bear”, adding: “This has literally broken me.”

The impact statement from Mr Humble’s partner, critical care nurse Adele Stubbs, who witnessed his killing, was read to the court.

She said they planned a future together having known each other for 18 months before the fateful night when, “he was so viciously beaten to death”.

“Witnessing him being killed in such horrific and terrifying circumstances traumatised my recollection of the incident.

“The trauma will remain with me for the rest of my life.

“My ability to grieve for the loss of Danny has been clouded by trauma.

“I’ve not had a proper night’s sleep since it happened.

"Every day has been sheer hell for me.

“For the first six months I continually asked myself if there was more we could’ve done to avoid it happening.

“Now I’m resigned to the fact we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Nothing we could’ve done or said would’ve stopped those boys attacking Danny that night.

“We had plans which have been cruelly snatched away from us.

“We planned to try for a baby later this year and were looking forward to getting married.

“Life without Danny will never be the same.

“I miss him so much it hurts every single day.

“He was so cruelly snatched away from me and his family by the unnecessary actions of those who killed him.”

She added: “I simply can’t imagine or resolve myself to a life without Danny.”

Read more: Cramlington Danny Humble's parents speak out as his killers locked up

Alistair Dickson, 18, of Hawkins Way, Blyth, who was the only one of the convicted five attackers found guilty of Mr Humble’s murder was, “detained at His Majesty’s pleasure”, equivalent to a life sentence for an offender of his age.

He must serve a minimum term of 12 years behind bars.

Kyros Robinson, 18, of Seaton Delaval, Bailey Wilson, now 19, Ethan Scott and Owen Soones, both also 18, all three from Blyth, each received young offenders’ institution sentences of six years and six months.

They must each serve 52 months, two-thirds of the sentence, in custody.

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