A teenage gang member who knifed a 16-year-old army cadet through the heart has been sentenced to a minimum of 17 years behind bars.
James Moore, 17, was one of 10 young men who set upon Joseph Lappin and two friends as they visited a youth club in Liverpool in October 2008.
Moore, who pleaded guilty to the murder, and the other gang members, who admitted conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, were being sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.
Joseph, from Old Swan, Liverpool, was visiting the Shrewsbury House Youth Club in the Everton area of the city when he was unwittingly caught up in local gang rivalry.
The teenager, a member of the Liverpool Scottish Regiment, and his friends Callum Naden and Greg Harold, then both 17, were attending a band practice session and had never been to the Church of England-run youth club before.
The court heard that all three were totally unsuspecting of the simmering feud which was taking place between two local gangs. As the boys stood outside the club, they were confronted by the defendants who had gone to Langrove Street looking for revenge following a fight between their gang and rivals earlier that day.
The 10-strong mob, who had their faces covered and were armed with weapons including batons, sticks and bottles as well as Moore's 4in blade, attacked the boys even though they knew they were not the youths they were looking for.
The three boys were cornered and Moore, then aged 16, launched his frenzied attack and knifed Joseph through the heart and then Callum in the chest and leg. Callum survived the attack but Joseph was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Speaking after the sentencing, Joseph's parents John and Toni, 45, issued a statement which said: "We are grateful that justice has been done, and that every single person involved in the senseless attack on Joseph and his friends has been made to answer for his actions.
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"But there is also an overwhelming feeling of sadness, not only for the loss of Joseph but also for the waste of the lives of the young men who have today been sentenced and the effects of this on their families. There are no winners despite the convictions."
