Ewan Ireland: Teen who murdered lawyer Peter Duncan named

A teenager who stabbed a lawyer to death with a screwdriver can be named after reporting restrictions expired.

Ewan Ireland was 17 when he killed Peter Duncan at the Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle in August.

Ireland, of Newcastle, admitted murder, stealing screwdrivers and carrying an offensive weapon, but could not be identified until his 18th birthday.

He remains in police custody and will be sentenced in December after psychiatric reports have been prepared.

At a previous hearing, prosecutors said Ireland had 17 convictions for 31 offences between 2017 and 2019.

Newcastle Crown Court was told 52-year-old Mr Duncan was “simply in the wrong place at the wrong time” when he crossed paths with the teenager outside a Greggs.

He died after being stabbed once in the heart on 14 August.

Image caption A cordon was put in place in Eldon Square after the stabbing

Mr Duncan was working as legal counsel in the Newcastle office of Royal IHC Limited when he was killed, and previously worked as a solicitor and legal advisor with other companies in Darlington and Newcastle.

He had trained as an electrical engineer before graduating from Northumbria University with a law degree in 2003.

In a statement released following his death, Mr Duncan’s family said he was a “kind and caring man who was always first to help others”.

“His death will leave such a huge hole in our lives and he’ll be deeply missed by us all,” they added.