Mother whose 19-year-old son was killed in 'ferocious and unprovoked' attack tells of her 'anger and relief' as thug behind it dies while serving his life sentence
A mother whose 19-year-old son was murdered in a 'ferocious and unprovoked' attack has told of her 'anger and relief' as one of the killers dies while serving his life sentence.
Craig Hepburn died after he was stabbed 11 times while walking home from a pub, where he had been playing the bagpipes, with his friend Conor Paton, 19, in Marsden, West Yorkshire, on 6 July 2012.
The teenagers were down from Scotland visiting Mr Hepburn's relatives and were heading back to his uncles house when Anthony Driver and Luke Elliott 'picked a fight' with them, stabbing Mr Hepburn in the back.
Mr Paton was also stabbed and injured as he tried to help his friend. The attack was described as frenzied and motiveless. The thugs continued to stab and kick Mr Hepburn as he laid bleeding on the ground.
Driver, of Grange Cottages, Marsden, was jailed for a minimum of 13 years after he was found guilty of manslaughter. His accomplice Luke Elliott, of Main Avenue, Cowlersley, was sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 22 years, after he was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and perverting the course of justice.
Craig Hepburn (pictured) died after he was stabbed 11 times while walking home from a pub, where he had been playing the bagpipes, with his friend Conor Paton, 19, in Marsden, West Yorkshire, on 6 July 2012
One of Mr Hepburn's killers, Anthony Driver (pictured), who was 37 at the time, has died while in custody serving his life sentence
Mr Hepburn's mother, Carol, was told earlier this week that Anthony Driver had died in custody in Doncaster.
It is believed Driver was 48 years old and died in hospital while still in custody and awaiting the outcome of a compassionate release application.
Mrs Hepburn said she wanted the people of Marsden and Huddersfield to know that Driver, a hardened criminal, no longer posed a risk to anyone.
She described Driver as a 'horrible beast' and 'absolute scum' who should not have been on the streets in 2012 or since. She said local people had been terrified of him.
Mrs Hepburn said: 'I want Marsden and the nearby villages to know he's dead and they are safe. I am so glad he's dead. I want it out there that this beast has died.'
Drivers accomplice Luke Elliott (pictured) who was 22 at the time, was given a minimum sentence of 22 years and will be eligible for release around 2035
Mrs Hepburn said she was relieved that Driver will not be able to hurt anyone else, adding: 'I feel relief... that he is not going to [kill] anyone else and put families through what we have been through.
'Craig's friends are getting married and having children - we have been robbed of that. That horrible beast should never have been on the streets. Before he killed Craig he was doing an eight-and-a-half year sentence and got out after three-and-a-bit.'
At the time of Driver's death, he was waiting for a decision on a request for him to be released on 'compassionate grounds'. Mrs Hepburn is happy he did not get out and added: 'He's not got a compassionate bone in his body.'
Mrs Hepburn and her husband Alex, who still live in Renfrewshire, Scotland, were told that they could not oppose the application for 'compassionate leave'.
Mr Hepburn was an avid bagpipes player and had been performing in the pub on the night he was killed
At the time of the killing, Driver, who had 54 convictions for previous offences, including violent knife crime, was out on prison licence and had not been properly monitored, which angered Craig's family. Elliott was also out on licence.
Mrs Hepburn said: 'If the Parole Board had done their job right, Craig would still be alive.'
In May 2013, Driver, who was a 37-year-old father-of-four at the time, was given a determinate sentence of 13 years in prison following a five-week trial at Leeds Crown Court.
On Christmas Eve 2019, Driver was freed at the automatic release point in his sentence. The following July his licence was revoked and he was recalled to prison after he was arrested on suspicion of further unspecified offending.
According to the Parole Board, his time in jail had been 'mixed' as Driver had used drugs at times. In February this year the Parole Board decided against Driver's release.
Elliott, who was 22 at the time, was given a minimum sentence of 22 years and will be eligible for release around 2035.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: 'Anthony Driver died on June 26 at Doncaster Hospital. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.'
