About this case:

• Judgment:
  External link
• Court:
  Crown Court
• Judge:
  Judge Patrick Lynch

The man had “planned to trap and torture her”, and had purchased handcuffs, duct tape, masks, and two machetes prior to the frenzied knife attack on the woman, her daughter, and his father at 5am on Christmas morning.

Sentencing the man, His Honour Judge Patrick Lynch explained that there was no evidence of the man fulfilling the criteria for any mental illness, and said that premeditation, the harm caused to the victims, and “victim blaming” were some of the reasons for assessing the man as presenting a significant risk of serious harm.

Background

On Christmas Eve 2017, Charlotte Reat spent the day with her mother Jayne Reat and Joseph Tweedie, visiting family and going shopping. They returned to Jayne and Joseph’s house, and spent the evening along with Joseph’s 19-year-old son – the defendant, Nathan Ward, who spent most of the time in his bedroom.

That night, Charlotte and Jayne slept in one room, and Joseph and Mr Ward in another. At around 5am on Christmas day, Mr Ward entered the room where Charlotte and Jayne were sleeping, causing Jayne to wake up and shout, waking Charlotte up. Mr Ward started hitting and stabbing Jayne, and Charlotte tried to protect her mother, also being stabbed by Mr Ward as a result.

Joseph came into the room and was able to overpower Mr Ward, who “just sort of changed [when he calmed down] and said ‘It wasn’t me daddy I don’t know what I’m doing, I don’t know what I’m doing it’s not me, I don’t know what I’m doing’. He then left the room …”.

Jayne Reat died from six stab wounds. Charlotte received a number of lacerations to her face, neck and hands and Mr Tweedie sustained cuts to his head, upper abdomen and hand.

When the police arrived and Mr Ward was cautioned, he said “Can I ask a question? Who was it that was murdered?”. When interviewed, Mr Ward said that he was in “a psychotic episode”. He said he had thought of killing Jayne and his father “because of his relationship with her over the past two years, claiming she had demeaned him and tried to get him out of the house”. The Court heard that he had “bought two machetes on two difference occasions and had also purchased handcuffs, duct tape, a gas mask and a ski mask. He said he was originally planning on using the items to trap and torture her”.

In January 2019, Mr Ward pleaded guilty to the murder of Jayne Reat, the attempted murder of Charlotte Reat and the wounding with intent of his father, Joseph Tweedie.

Sentencing

In Craigavon Crown Court on 15 March 2019, Judge Patrick Lynch referred to a victim impact statement from Charlotte and said it was clear that she has been scarred both physically and mentally for life: “You, Ward, have robbed her of her life and prospects”. He noted that Charlotte had lost her mother who was very close to her, and had not been able to say goodbye to her.

The court also received a pre-sentence report and two psychiatric reports. Mr Ward “said he had been fuming with Ms Reat on Christmas Eve as a result of her general attitude to him and specifically her attitude on Christmas Eve. The psychiatrist concluded that there was no evidence that [Mr Ward] fulfilled the criteria for any mental illness”.

Mr Ward’s guilty plea was not timely, but once the psychiatrist’s report was received indicating that there were no grounds for raising the issue of diminished responsibility, Mr Ward had asked to be rearraigned and pleaded guilty to all the charges.

Mr Ward had been assessed as presenting a significant risk of serious harm (as defined by the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008) due to the:

• High level of rumination/grievance thinking with premeditation/planning;
• Offending against three victims and significant physical and psychological harm caused together with victim blaming; and
• Use of a weapon.

Judge Lynch found Mr Ward to be dangerous, and said there was no doubt that Mr Ward intended to kill as opposed to intending to cause grievous bodily harm. For this, “and the other reasons around the vulnerability of the victim and the gratuitous violence that he perpetrated”, Judge Lynch said the case fell within the higher tariff starting point of 15/16 years.

Sentencing Mr Ward, Judge Lynch said that the sentences for the offences of attempted murder and wounding with intent should run concurrently with the tariff on the life sentence:

• Count 1 – Murder – a minimum period of 17 years before being considered for release by the Parole Commissioners. Judge Lynch stated that if he had not pleaded guilty to the charge and had been convicted after trial, the minimum period would have been 20 years;
• Count 2 – Attempted Murder – 12 years imprisonment with an extension of licence period of five years;
• Count 3 – Wounding with intent – five years imprisonment with an extension of licence period of three years.

• by Seosamh Gráinséir for Irish Legal News