Jail sentence of Sunderland teenager Connor Brown's killer will go before Court of Appeal

Ally Gordon was found guilty of manslaughter following a trial into the murder of the beloved Farringdon 18-year-old who was enjoying a night out with friends in Sunderland city centre in February 2019.

Co-accused Leighton Barrass, 20, of Hartside Square, was found guilty of murder and given a life sentence – and will serve a minimum of 20 years behind bars.

While Gordon, of Polmuir Road, received a jail sentence of three-and-a-half years for the role he played in ‘wonderful’ Connor’s death.

There were gasps from the public gallery when Mr Justice Lavender read out 20-year-old Gordon’s sentence the day after he was found guilty on December 12, 2019.

Last month the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed Gordon’s sentence would be reviewed at the Court of Appeal, in London, following a referral by the CPS that it was ‘potentially unduly lenient’.

Gordon’s sentence is due to go before the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, February 12 at 10.30am.

A spokesman for the CPS said previously: “We prepared a report on the case for the Attorney General’s office.

“The Solicitor General has now referred Gordon’s sentence to Court of Appeal as a potentially unduly lenient sentence.”

Last month the Echo reported that a Facebook profile under Ally Gordon’s name had been sending messages while he was serving time in prison.

The messages said Gordon will be out on the streets of Sunderland in November and threatened to take the ‘head off’ another person during an exchange.

The prison service ‘those responsible will be punished’ and could face up to two additional years behind bars.

Barrass and Gordon killed 18-year-old Connor who was enjoying a night out in Sunderland city centre in the early hours of Sunday, February 24, 2019.

Barrass stabbed Connor five times while Gordon, of Polmuir Road, kicked the amateur boxer while the pair fought on the ground.

The beloved teenager was described as a “wonderful son” and tributes from across the North East flooded in for Connor following his death.