Killer was obsessed by violent video game

Warren LeBlanc, 17, lured Stefan Pakeerah, 14, to his death by telling him that they were going to meet some girls. But once in Stoke Wood Park, Leicester, LeBlanc — described as an “exemplary pupil” by a former headmistress — struck his friend from behind with a claw hammer he had hidden in a bag.

He stabbed him in the neck and side before dragging him into the bushes and stabbing him again. He then stripped the victim.

When police searched LeBlanc’s home they found the controversial PlayStation 2 computer game Manhunt.


The 18-rated game, which is banned in New Zealand, features a “hero” who wins points for murdering people before they can murder him — with more horrific deaths earning a higher score. The graphics show blood splattering from people as they are attacked. Ther game also features decapitation and brutal stabbings.

Last night, as the killer faced life behind bars, Stefan’s father Patrick, 41, a civil servant, said: “Stefan’s murder compares to how the game is set out, using weapons like hammers and knives. The object of Manhunt is not to just to go out and kill people. It’s a point-scoring game where you increase your score depending on how violent the killing is.

“That explains why Stefan’s murder was as horrific as it was . . . the violence can most certainly be attributed to that game and if games like this influence kids they should be taken off the shelves.”

His mother, Giselle, 36, added: “Stefan’s friends say Warren was obsessed with this game . . . it could well be that the boundaries between fantasy and reality became quite hazy.”

Leicester Crown Court was told that LeBlanc told police: “Everything went black. I didn’t intend to kill him at first, but when I saw the blood I just let go and hit more times.”

Judge Michael Stokes, QC, told LeBlanc, of Braunstone Frith, Leicester, that pending further reports, he would be detained for life.

Superintendent Bob Small, of Leicestershire police, who led the investigation into Stefan’s death, said: “We do not believe the game is directly connected with the motive. But in any inquiry we keep an open mind as to what the motive can be.”

Manhunt, described by its promoters as a “sado-masochistic” game, was banned six months ago in New Zealand by censorship officials.

Jack Thompson, a lawyer who is campaigning against the sale of violent video games to children, said that he had written to its producers warning that there would be copycat attacks.

He said there was evidence to suggest that teenagers playing such games had difficulty distinguishing between the fantasy and reality.

Mr Thompson, speaking from Miami, Florida, said: “We have had dozens of killings in the US by children who had played these types of games. This is not an isolated incident. We have got to stop selling them to children because there is hard science — brain scan studies — that show that the games are processed in a different part of the brain in an adolescent than in an adult.”

The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers’ Association said: “We sympathise enormously with the family and parents of Stefan Pakeerah. However, we reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events in the Midlands and the sale of the video game Manhunt.

“The game in question is classified 18 by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and therefore should not be in the possession of a juvenile.”

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