A musician who stabbed a student eight times as he walked home from a Halloween party has been found guilty of manslaughter.
Luke O'Connor, 19 - described as a 'gentle giant' by his family - was killed in Fallowfield during a horrifying incident on Wilmslow Road in October last year.
Shiloh Pottinger, 20, repeatedly knifed the Manchester Metropolitan University student with a 13-inch 'mafia stiletto' knife after reacting 'violently and unpredictably' to a joke made about his skateboard by Luke's friend. Pottinger - a music producer and student at BIMM university - was just 19 at the time. A jury at Manchester Crown Court found Pottinger not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter following a three week trial. He wept in the dock after the verdicts were read.
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Judge Nicholas Dean KC said he faces a 'lengthy sentence'. Jurors heard how a fight developed at about 2am on October 26 after Luke's friend Charlie Robertson asked Pottinger if he could perform a 'kick flick' on his skateboard.
CCTV footage played to the court showed Pottinger brandishing a knife before pocketing it and hitting Luke over the head with his skateboard. Later, Pottinger could be seen to redraw the knife, stabbing Luke a total of eight times before fleeing, leaving his victim bleeding in the road.
Pottinger then threw his skateboard over the fence of Owens Park student accommodation before briefly stopping to speak to two young women. The court heard he initially asked them to call an ambulance for a cut he sustained during the fight, before changing his mind and running to his home on Brailsford Road.
The 'panicking' then-teen carried out a number of internet searches, including 'how long do you serve for killing someone?' and 'how much time do you get for knife murder?' during the two days before his arrest on October 28.
During the trial, Pottinger said he had stabbed Luke 'unintentionally'. "I just flailed my arm," he said. "It was just a reaction."
When asked why he fled the scene, Pottinger said he was 'terrified' at what he had seen. He told the court he later learned of Luke's death after receiving a message from a friend on a Snapchat group chat.
"What was going through your head?," he was asked by his barrister Siobhan Grey KC. "I just couldn't believe it," the defendant replied. "It was devastating to find out what had happened. I didn't know."
The 20-year-old said he produced the knife because he was 'scared' and acting in self defence. Prior to the trial he pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article, but told jurors he had the knife to carry out work on his skateboard.
Pottinger said he didn't intend to cause Luke 'really serious harm', adding that his intention at the time was to 'get away'. He has denied murder throughout.
However, after 13 hours an 38 minutes of deliberations, the jury rejected Pottinger's claims and found him guilty of manslaughter. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Luke's family, who are from Bedford, issued a moving tribute following his death. In a statement released via GMP, they said: "Our hearts yearn for the loss of Luke; we are truly devastated by this tragedy. Luke was loved by so many people, and he knew how much he was loved in return.
"He was a second year business management student at university. He loved the freedom of student living and studying and was loving life in Manchester.
"Luke was the youngest of three boys in our family and was a gentle giant with big hopes and dreams for the future. His biggest dream was to travel the world, but now Luke will never be able to fulfil that dream.
"Luke loved music, football and was a big supporter of Liverpool Football Club, who he followed religiously from a young age. He had a profound impact on so many people throughout his life. He was truly one of a kind, who’s presence would light up any room.
"Luke’s friends also adored him, as he adored them. They often called Luke a 'legend' and 'the life and soul' of everything he did. Everyone who met him, truly loved him.
"Our lively, bubbly, beautiful boy has been taken from us and our family are now left with a hole in our hearts that will never be filled. Justice needs to be served as we have lost our beautiful young Luke, who was robbed of life.
"We will continue to honour his name for as long as we are all here, and his legacy with go on forever."
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