Teen given life for father murder
Published on : 04/05/2007
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An 18-year-old has been given life today for the murder of a young father who died in front of his fiancee and son.
Bradley Tucker shot Peter Woodhams, 22, outside his house in Newham, east London, on August 21st last year after an apparent earlier altercation.
Tucker was found guilty of the murder in March and at the Old Bailey today he was told he would serve a minimum of 25 years.
Mr Woodhams' death came after months of bullying; seven months before he died he was stabbed in the neck during an incident close to his house.
He reported this to police but no arrests were made at the time and concerns have been raised about how the attack was dealt with, prompting an internal police review of the initial investigation.
After being shot Mr Woodhams staggered back to his house and collapsed in front of his partner and his three-year-old son, Sam.
Mr Woodhams was taken to hospital but was dead by the time he arrived. He had been shot three times and died from a bullet wound to the chest which pierced his heart and lung.
In a victim impact statement his fiancee said: "Peter and I had everything to live for - we were a young family getting started in life, setting out on our future together.
"[Our son] Sam believes that his daddy is a star now, in heaven. He still believes that his daddy will come back to him."
A 17-year-old, who has not been named for legal reasons, was acquitted of murder and manslaughter.
