'I feel a deep and utter loathing...'

THE Blakedown father of a surveyor stabbed to death in Birmingham has said he will never forgive his son's killer.

Paul Tanner, 23, was attacked during a street robbery in the Jewellery Quarter in March.

Antwya Bennett, 17, was jailed for life last Thursday after appearing at Birmingham Crown Court. He had admitted murder and was told he must serve a minimum of 14 years before being considered for parole.

Two other schoolboys, aged 16 and 14, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of armed robbery. They were both ordered to be detained for two-and-a-half years.

Speaking at a police press conference following the sentencing, Mr Tanner's, father, John, said: "We will never ever, ever forgive these three. I feel a deep and utter loathing for them.

"In these politically correct times you are not supposed to talk of revenge but I want revenge and retribution. We want them punished."

John Tanner, 56, later told the Shuttle/Times and News: "We have had a tough, long time building up to this. For nine months, there have been stop-starts all the while.

"We fully expected it to be going to a trial in the new year. We were suddenly told 'the judge will sentence today'. My head still thinks we are going to trial in the new year but they have been sentenced."

He said the family had been advised not to "get fixated" on the sentence but added it was difficult not to.

He explained: "The main one has 14 years. It is a long time but he is still going to be 30 when he gets out - a young man. He will be stronger, nastier, and more ugly than when he went in.

"The other two got two-and-a half-years each. All they got charged with is robbery. I will never accept that as being correct. Three of them were there - only one held the knife - but the other two knew he had the knife."

Paul's mother, Marilyn, said: "It is not going to bring Paul back - we will never forgive. Whatever sentence they got would never have been enough. It has totally ruined our lives. How do you cope with a thing like this?"

Mr Tanner added: "There we were, the nuclear family, mum, dad, three boys - all doing well. We all knew what we were doing. Now we are drifting along."

Three were on prowl looking for victims

STEPHEN Linehan, QC, prosecuting, told Birmingham Crown Court the gang, wearing hoods and scarves to hide their faces, had gone "looking for victims."

They had robbed a couple before crossing a churchyard to attack Mr Tanner and a friend as they returned home from a night out.

Mr Tanner offered no resistance when confronted. "There he stood, with Bennett in front of him, the other two patted down his clothes and took his wallet," said Mr Linehan. "Having drawn the knife from his waistband, he thrust it into Mr Tanner's abdomen."

He died later in hospital while his family maintained a bedside vigil.

At an earlier hearing, Bennett, of Farm Street, Newtown was described as "immature, poorly educated."

Sentencing him, the judge Mr Justice Mitting, said the senseless killing had robbed Mr Tanner's family of a young man on the threshold of a successful adult life.

The judge said he was satisfied the three had acted as a team, adding: "You three young men set out to commit predatory robberies on young men and women returning home after a night out in Birmingham's entertainment quarter."

Mr Mitting accepted that in the case of the two boys "neither of you foresaw that the knife might be used for lethal intent".

He added: "You, Bennett, did use it with lethal intent and killed a blameless young man who did nothing whatsoever to provoke you."