One of the two teenagers convicted of murdering Owen Dunn has had an appeal against his sentence turned down.
Owen, 18, was stabbed to death in an ambush on Mazurek Way on December 4, 2022, while cycling to see his girlfriend at the time.
Tyler Hunt, 18, of Park South, was sentenced to a minimum term of 19 years in jail at a sentencing hearing in January, following a trial in December.
His accomplice, a 15-year-old boy who was 14 at the time of Owen's murder, was also sentenced to a minimum term of 12 years. He cannot be named for legal reasons.
On May 23, Hunt appeared before the Royal Courts of Justice's Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) to argue against his sentencing at a hearing at 10.30pm.
But the trio of justices, Lord Justice William Davis, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb and His Honour Judge Dennis Watson KC dismissed the appeal, meaning that Hunt's 19-year minimum term will stand.
The family of Owen Dunn have told the Advertiser that they are 'over the moon' with the decision.
Owen's mother, Zoe Mitchell, said: "Some good news for once, this has been a hard few weeks."
During the trial, which started on November 14, the jury was shown CCTV, doorbell and dashcam footage which showed balaclava-clad Hunt and the 15-year-old travelling on e-bikes to the scene where the attack happened, seemingly searching for something along the way.
They were then said to have ambushed Owen, who was also wearing a balaclava, with one throwing their bike into this path and the other swinging at him with a machete.
After being hit with the fatal wound, that reached his heart, Owen could be seen cycling further down the road before collapsing and dying despite the efforts of members of the public and paramedics to save him.
On November 29, the jury reached a unanimous verdict for both Hunt and the 15-year-old, finding them guilty of murder.
In a victim impact statement, Owen's family said: "Our house is quiet, the absence of Owen’s laughter and smiles echoes through our home. We wait his return, only to face the heartbreaking reality of bidding him a final farewell."
They have since formed the Community Interest Company Owen's World which is aiming to combat knife crime in Swindon and recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.
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