A murderer has failed in his bid to reduce the amount of time he must spend behind bars – a decision that’s been welcomed by our murder detectives who secured his conviction.
Ty Blake was jailed for life last March for shooting dead James Teer in Erdington on the evening of 8 August 2019.
Blake – who was 19 at the time – fired a shotgun at point-blank range into James’ face as he played football in the street with friends.
He was imprisoned for a minimum of 32 years alongside fellow murderer Sharn Miles who was driving their getaway car.
Blake, formerly of Shustoke Road in Shard End, claimed the punishment was too harsh and lodged a bid with the Court of Appeal to reduce the length of his sentence. But on Wednesday (3 Feb) that appeal was rejected.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Griffiths led the investigation. His team seized CCTV showing the callous pair casually walking into a take-away and ordering chicken and chips just 20 minutes after the cold-blooded killing.
They also recovered the getaway car and found a blood-stained tissue inside that returned a DNA hit to Blake. It’s understood Blake suffered a cut lip when the shotgun recoiled into his mouth and used the toilet paper to dab away the blood.
DCI Griffiths welcomed the Court of Appeal ruling, adding: “This was a callous and shocking assassination of a decent young man. I’m pleased the Court of Appeal has upheld the original sentence which was wholly justified.
“There were lots of aggravating factors in this case. It was a premeditated killing and a shotgun was fired in a public street in broad daylight with children and other people nearby. More people could have been injured or killed.
“Blake has taken a man’s life and he has to face the consequences and accept that most of his life will now be spent locked away from society.
“This is a clear message to anyone who is linked to gangs or firearms – you are risking serious injury, death, or spending much of your life behind bars.”
We’ve released a statement on behalf of James’ family.
It reads: “We are very happy with the outcome from the Court of Appeal. Our gorgeous and happy son, James Teer, was not afforded the luxury of an appeal when Ty Blake decided to point a gun in his face and pull the trigger.
“It seems appalling that someone who has been found guilty of such a violent murder should be allowed to appeal, but this is the law.
“Our life, and future has been devastated by his actions and nothing can bring James back, but there is small comfort knowing that his killers are away for a long time and unable to cause pain or misery to any other family.
“We would also like to thank West Midlands Police for their excellent work, the CPS and the ambulance service who were all instrumental in bringing this murderer to justice.
“This outcome should also highlight that those who commit gun and knife crime are not above the law and when found guilty will be put away for a very long time.
“Ty Blake is now looking at a 32-year prison sentence because he believed he could take a life without consequence. Those who carry weapons also need to understand that prison is not a walk in the park, it’s a horrible place to spend any part of your life.”