Two teenage boys handed life sentences after murder of Raymond James Quigley in Ipswich attack

Two teenage boys have been handed life sentences after being convicted of a brutal murder in Ipswich town centre last year.

Alfie Hammett and Joshua Howell, both 19, were found guilty of the murder of 18-year-old Raymond James Quigley following an altercation on January 17, 2023. Hammett, of Larkhill Rise, Rushmere St Andrew, was sentenced to a minimum terms of 24 years, while Howell, of Wellington Street, Ipswich, faces a minimum of 20 years behind bars.

Mr Quigley had travelled to Ipswich from his home in Norfolk to meet two friends on the day he was attacked and killed. The group of friends encountered both Hammett and Howell on Westgate Street just after 3.30pm, with the pair clad in face mask, hoods and brandishing large knifes.

Hammett lunged towards Mr Quigley with his knife and stabbed him multiple times, while Howell chased one of his friends while waving a machete. The friend sought shelter in a nearby shop. Following the stabbing, Hammett ran off towards Cornhill, while Howell ran up Providence Street towards Tower Ramparts.

Mr Quigley staggered across the road after the pair had fled the scene but collapsed in a nearby shop. Members of the public came to his aid, with emergency service also contacted. Despite the efforts of all, Mr Quigley lost his life at the scene. A post-mortem concluded that he had died from four stab wounds to the torso, as well as two further wounds to the chest and abdomen.

Hammett and Howell were tracked through CCTV footage after police launched the murder inquiry. Hammett was seen on CCTV travelling back into the town centre before heading into Upper Orwell Street where he was seen for the first time without his face mask. He was then traced near Suffolk New College and then Back Hamlet by subsequent investigations the following day. Hammett was identified after information was released by both Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies.

Howell was first identified as a suspect 48 hours after the attack, after police were able to track his mobile phone to the area at the time of the attack and eyewitness accounts matching his description. It was then that police traced Howell to an Oxfordshire address he had fled to following Mr Quigley's murder.

Howell was arrested in the early hours of January 21, while Hammett was arrested around 12 hours later when he was apprehended in Rushmere St Andrew. It is believed that the incident may have stemmed from Mr Quigley, and Hammett and Howell clashing due to tensions between rival gangs in Norwich.

Detective Chief Inspector Tam Burgess, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “This was an horrific and completely senseless act of extreme violence that has resulted in the death of an 18-year-old man who had his whole life ahead of him. I want to pay tribute to James’ family for their dignity and perseverance throughout this investigation and more latterly the trial, which has been an incredibly difficult process for them.

“I also want to thank everyone who has been involved with this inquiry, from detectives, to the CCTV team, enquiry officers, major incident room staff and crime scene investigators. It was an intense three days following the attack, seizing and viewing hundreds of hours of video footage and gathering all the other evidence, which ultimately led to us identifying Alfie Hammett and Joshua Howell.

DCI Burgess said that he was "staggered by the brazen way in which Hammett and Howell committed this heinous crime in such a public place". he added: “James Quigley was simply walking through town with his friends, when he was subjected to this unprovoked attack and without any opportunity to defend himself. He stood no chance. 

“And the motivation? Although they are never likely to tell us themselves, everything points to it being down to gang rivalry. Across the country we are seeing too many deaths of this nature. This senseless loss of young lives has to stop.

“Carrying knives is not the answer to anything. It devastates peoples’ lives, not just those of the victims, but their family and friends and also the families of the attackers. We must continue to work together as a society to educate everybody about the risks and do everything we can to prevent another family going through what James’ family has had to suffer.”