Jordan Towers loses appeal over murder of young Sunderland dad Kevin Johnson

A Sunderland man who was convicted as a teenager of a brutal murder has failed to convince top judges he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Jordan Towers, now 27, was found guilty of murder and jailed for life at the age of just 16 at Newcastle Crown Court in October 2007.

He had been involved in an incident in which 22-year-old dad, Kevin Johnson, was killed in a savage attack in Partick Road, Pennywell, in May 2007.

Mr Johnson was assaulted and stabbed after confronting Towers and two of his friends about their rowdy behaviour in the street.

At the Court of Appeal, Towers' lawyers argued he was wrongly convicted on the basis that he was part of a murderous "joint enterprise."

Barrister, Henry Blaxland QC, said Towers had never intended to cause Mr Johnson serious harm and was up to 20 feet away when the fatal blow was struck.

"Towers' own actions amounted to an unarmed scuffle and drunkenly throwing a brick, which missed," said the barrister.

"At the time of the fatal attack, he was standing some feet away, just watching."

Towers' case was referred to the Appeal Court by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the body that investigates suspected miscarriages of justice.

But, throwing out his challenge today, Sir Brian Leveson said Towers had confessed to police after the killing that he had been carrying a knife.

Although he was not the one who knifed Mr Johnson, he had thrown a brick, or paving slab, at the victim, the judge added.

Towers and his friends were out "clearly looking for trouble" and had goaded the victim into leaving his home and confronting them on the street.