A teenager has been told he will serve a minimum jail term of 11-and-a-half years for the “wanton, unprovoked and despicable murder” of Ballymena man Jason Martin.
he 31-year-old father-of-two sustained a fatal leg wound at a house in the Orkney Drive area of Ballykeel in the early hours of June 27, 2020.
As he jailed his killer Jordan Bradley Jake McClintock (19) at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice Humphreys said he hoped the sentence would act as a deterrent to other young men tempted to use weapons.
He described Mr Martin as a man “who didn’t have a bad bone in his body … no-one had a bad word to say about him”.
The senior judge also paid tribute to the dignity displayed by Mr Martin’s family, who he said have suffered “untold sorrow” at the loss of such a well-loved and popular man.
Despite the best efforts of both Mr Martin’s friends and medics who were called to the scene, he lost his life after being stabbed in the leg by McClintock.
The two men lived in the same area of Ballymena and both attended a social gathering in the Orkney Drive area of the town.
While the Crown said McClintock “gatecrashed” the party and was “not invited”, the defence said McClintock was a regular at the property.
Those at the party described how McClintock had been ‘slabbering at everyone’ that night and ‘making threats’.
McClintock and Mr Martin engaged in a conversation in the kitchen during which McClintock spoke of paramilitaries and ‘the need to gain respect’, and was advised by the older man that ‘respect had to be earned’ and that paramilitarism wasn’t glamorous.
Mr Martin then moved to the living room and sat on the edge of a chair, when he was attacked by McClintock, who had armed himself with a knife from the kitchen.
He stabbed Mr Martin several times and the deceased sustained superficial wounds to his arm and hands as well as a fatal wound to his right thigh.
Witnesses at the party described McClintock dropping the knife and ‘coolly’ walking off from the scene, while frantic efforts were made to save Mr Martin.
McClintock was arrested at his Orkney Drive home and admitted to the manslaughter of Mr Martin on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
This was not accepted by the Crown and a murder trial proceeded last year at Belfast Crown Court. However, following several days of evidence McClintock changed his plea and admitted the charge.
Last December Mr Justice Humphreys imposed a life sentence on McClintock, who was remanded into custody.
He was back in court on Wednesday, where he was told he will serve a minimum term of 11-and-a-half years before he is considered eligible for release by the Parole Commission.
Before sentence was passed, Crown barrister Rick Weir QC called for McClintock to receive a higher tariff given the aggravating factors.
These, he said, included the fact that Mr Martin was with friends and should have felt safe, and that the attack was totally unprovoked.
Barra McCrory QC, the barrister for McClintock, urged for a lower tariff and asked the judge to consider his client was aged 18 at the time and suffering from both ADHD and alcohol dependency syndrome.
Mr McCrory said McClintock had experienced a chaotic and troubled childhood, adding he has since expressed remorse the hurt he has caused to Mr Martin’s loved ones.
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The scene at Orkney Drive in Ballymena in June 2020
Mr Justice Humphreys spoke of this loss and said Mr Martin’s mother lost her only son, and his two sons will grow up without their father.
Speaking of both the love and respect held for Mr Martin, the Judge said an annual walk to Slemish Mountain on Father’s Day in his honour “speaks volumes about how he was thought of by his family and friends”.
As he sentenced McClintock, Mr Justice Humphreys said “the defendant subjected his victim to a wanton, unprovoked and despicable attack with a kitchen knife which resulted in his death”.
He also expressed the hope that the sentence “will deter other young men from engaging in knife crime”.
“The tragic consequences of events such as these, where young men resort to the use of knives to pursue some agenda or to settle an argument, are all too common.”
Imposing the tariff, Mr Justice Humphreys told McClintock that when he is eventually released he will be subject to licence conditions – and any breach of licence would result in a recall to custody.
After the sentence was handed down, Detective Inspector Gina Quinn said: “Mr Martin, who was aged 31, bled to death after being stabbed in the leg by Jordan McClintock.
“The attack, which was without motive, has taken a man’s life. It’s left a family bereft, and it’s left two young sons without their father.
“There are, unfortunately, no words that can help to ease their heartbreak or undo this tragic event.
“I hope, however, that today’s sentencing sends out a very clear message to anyone who thinks they can get away with such atrocity.”
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