Teen who 'grinned' as he stabbed victim with Rambo-style knife handed 20 years

A balaclava-clad teenager who grinned before fatally stabbing an 18-year-old man through the heart with a Rambo-style knife, has been detained.

Charles Hartle, who was 17 at the time, carried out the “utterly pointless killing” when he attacked Noah Smedley on a dark street in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on the evening of December 28 last year, with the knife he kept hidden in his tracksuit bottoms. Hartle, of Station Road, Stanley, was found guilty of murdering Mr Smedley on July 25, after a two-week trial, and he has been detained for a minimum of 20 years today atDerby Crown Court.

Prosecution counsel Adrian Langdale KC said during his trial that as Hartle moved towards Mr Smedley, he “grinned or smiled before deliberately aiming for and stabbing him in the chest”. Sentencing the now 18-year-old to be detained for life at His Majesty’s pleasure at the same court on Friday, Judge Shaun Smith KC said Mr Smedley’s murder was “yet another reminder of the dreadful epidemic of knife crime”.

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The court was told that Hartle and his friends had arranged to meet Mr Smedley, who arrived at the scene on an electric scooter and sold them cannabis. Mr Langdale said the defendant regularly carried a Rambo-style knife for “the kudos and bravado” and to show others he was a “big man”.

Footage released by Derbyshire Police shows Hartle, who had an “unhealthy fascination” with knives running, from the scene and along several roads. He made a call to someone where he asked to be taken off 'speaker phone' and the footage also showed his arrest.

The force said Hartle, who liked to go by the nickname Lil Cee, went to meet his girlfriend at a house party after stabbing Mr Smedley in the heart. Witnesses at the party reportedly saw him confess to her what he had done and produce the knife, which has never been recovered.

Hartle then travelled to Derby city centre to distance himself from the scene, where Mr Smedley had been found by members of the public at about 8.20pm. He was pronounced dead just before 9pm.

In the hours after the murder, Hartle disposed of his clothing, the knife, and his phone, before eventually handing himself in at Ilkeston police station. In a prepared statement given to police, Hartle said he accepted inflicting the injury on Mr Smedley but felt he had acted in self-defence.

He said: “There is a history to this, and Noah and I did not get on. He has, in the past, made numerous threats to me and made disparaging comments. He has threatened me with violence. I was petrified that he was about to lunge at me. In that split second, I instinctively lashed out with the knife I had, in self-defence.”

Judge Smith told Hartle the violent lyrics he had written, including a rap containing the line “to the opps that are wearing vests, for f*** sake let me just shank your heart”, indicate a “very alarming side to you”.

He said: “Your music and lyrics boasted of being an experienced drug dealer and your affiliation with a gang. They demonstrated an obsession with carrying lethal weapons to kill or maim others.”

He added: “Only you know the true reason why you stabbed Noah, others can only speculate. There was evidence during the trial of your fascination with knives, particularly with the gruesome type you stabbed Noah with.

“You delivered the single fatal blow, no provocation, no hesitation, straight into the heart and out again. I have no doubt that you were carrying the knife for your own protection, but you were more than willing to produce it and use it.”

Detective Constable Emma Barnes-Marriott, of Derbyshire Police, said: “Noah was an unarmed teenager, who was simply meeting with friends on the night Charles Hartle decided to end his life.

“Noah did not threaten Hartle and showed nothing but friendliness towards him that evening, and yet he was brutally murdered. Charles Hartle is a callous and calculating young man, who has shown no recognition or remorse for taking another teenager’s life.

“He carried a knife with the intention to use it, over what appears to be a petty disagreement that only he was aware of, and a sense of bravado. I’d like to thank Noah’s family for their support during our investigation and the trial.

“No family should have to go through the ordeal of losing a loved one, especially at such a young age, and to have to relive their last moments at trial is an additional blow that Hartle could have spared them from.

“Instead, despite overwhelming evidence, he remained silent and refused to take responsibility for Noah’s murder. I know that nothing will bring Noah back but hope that today’s verdict has provided his family with some comfort that justice has been done.”

In a statement after Hartle’s sentencing, Mr Smedley’s family said: “Noah was a beloved member of our family and community, and his loss has left an unfillable void in our lives.

“He was a shining light, full of love, laughter, and joy, and his memory will continue to inspire us. We are heartbroken that he is no longer with us, but we take comfort in knowing that his memory will live on in our hearts.”