THAMES Valley Police has sentenced three people in connection with the murder of Reece Heffernan in Tilehurst last year.
Following a five-week-long trial which concluded at Reading Crown Court on 24 August, two men and a woman were sentenced on Monday, November 28.
Damian Wozniak, aged 19, also of Kings Road, Reading had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiring to pervert the course of justice and conspiracy to supply a class B controlled drug.
Madison Henderson, aged 20, of Kings Road, Reading, was convicted by unanimous jury verdict of conspiring to pervert the course of justice and conspiracy to supply a class B controlled drug.
Hamzah Ahmed, aged 19, of Jubilee Road, Reading, was found not guilty by unanimous jury verdict of one count of murder and one count of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
Ahmed pleaded guilty, however, to one count of conspiracy to supply a class B controlled drug earlier in the trial.
At the sentencing hearing on Monday, November 28, Henderson and Wozniak were both sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment, while Ahmed was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
At around 10.40pm on Sunday 31 October last year, officers were called to Romany Lane, Tilehurst, following reports of a stabbing.
Mr Heffernan, aged 22, was located at the scene where he died.
Carlos Daniel Capitao Mor da Fonseca, aged 24, Tuviah Thompson-Hordle, aged 18; and Charles Lynch, aged 18; were all found guilty by unanimous jury verdict of murder on Monday, September 12, this year.
Lynch was sentenced to be detained with a minimum term of 20 years.
Fonseca was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years, while Thompson-Hordle was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years.
At the time of the sentencing of those charged with Heffernan’s murder, Detective Superintendent Andy Howard of Thames Valley Police’s major crime unit, said: “This was a tragic incident in which a young man lost his life.
“Although not all of the defendants physically attacked Reece, three of them were proven to have played a part in his death.
“This was a chilling incident, both in terms of the speed of the attack on Reece, but also because I do not believe that Reece was the intended target for this group.”
Heffernan’s family paid tribute to him following the sentencing, also back in September, with his father, Nicholas Walker, saying: “Reece is in a better place now and in peace.
“Reece was taken from us at such a young age of 22 and had so many years ahead of him, he mentioned to me that one day he will want to start a clothing line because he had passion for fashion.
“Reece also had the skills of an IT engineer; he knew how to calculate complex computer mathematics as well as setting up computer networks.
“He also loved sports and became a very talented amateur boxer.”
Concluding, Mr Walker said: “Reece was a very loving, energetic, intelligent, and righteous young man who loved hugs, spoke the truth, and was very loyal.”
