A youth who murdered a 16-year-old girl in Belfast after having sex with her has been jailed for a minimum of 15 years.
Thomas Purcell (18), from Windsor Road, Belfast, admitted battering Megan McAlorum to death with a log in a forest near the city after they had sex in the early hours of Easter Sunday in April 2004.
The details of the killing were recounted in Belfast Crown Court last Friday.
Jailing Purcell for a minimum of 15 years today, Mr Justice McLaughlin said: "Megan was just 16 when she died and she had been a bright, vivacious fun-loving young woman, a credit to her parents and family and had everything to life for. She had been brought up by her parents to respect others, to contribute to society and she had a bright future ahead of her.
"You destroyed all of that by killing her and in doing so destroyed the lives of her parents, brothers and sisters."
Purcell has a string of previous convictions in England dating back to 2000 when as a 13-year-old he made a series of appearances at Oxford Juvenile Court. He has been convicted of six robberies, common assault, shoplifting, motoring offences and racial harassment.
In July 2002 he was convicted of arson.
Since the murder he had been convicted at the Crown Court in Newry, Co Down, to three years for robbery at knife point, a crime committed before the murder.
The court heard last week there was significant evidence Megan was raped before being murdered, but outlining the prosecution case, John Orr QC said while it was certain sex took place, rape could not be proved.
Purcell changed his plea to guilty in April as his trial was due to begin.