THIS is the chilling moment three teenagers lured a man to his death before throwing him into a canal.

The grinning killers then stabbed Scott Anderton 37 times before shoving him into the water and leaving him to die in the early hours.

The 33-year-old desperately tried to haul himself onto the bank but soon lost consciousness and slipped back under the surface.

Liam Bailey, Harry Maher and Liam O'Brien have now been jailed for almost 50 years for the brutal killing.

CCTV footage shows the trio of baby-faced killers following vulnerable Mr Anderton along a canal path in his hometown of Leigh, Greater Manchester.

They then lead him to a secluded stretch of the waterway off King Street out of view of street cameras.

Bailey, 19, pleaded guilty to Mr Anderton's murder, while Maher, 16, was found guilty by the jury of the same charge, and O'Brien, 17, was convicted of manslaughter.

Their identities had previously been kept hidden due to legal restrictions until they were today lifted by Judge Alan Conrad QC.

He told them the "scale and savagery of the violence used almost defy belief".

Mr Anderton was found floating in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on March 25.

Moments earlier, CCTV captured him walking through the town centre with a plastic carrier bag, wearing a bobble hat and only one shoe.

He had the "tragic misfortune" of bumping into hooded Bailey, O'Brien and Maher – who were carrying a bag of weapons – before they began their "horrific" act of sustained violence just after 4am.

A post mortem found Mr Anderton had suffered 37 "sharp force wounds, some of them penetrating deep and some even cutting bone, as well as a number of blunt force injuries".

The relentless attack on the young dad only ended when they pushed him into the canal – but the teens stopped him from getting out by administering further blows.

Manchester Crown Court heard Mr Anderton had bravely attempted to climb out of the water and grabbed onto the bank to pull himself up.

But he lost consciousness and slipped into the canal, while Bailey vilely rifled through his bag as he lay helplessly in the water.

A pathologist said a number of his wounds were "defensive" and "consistent with blows being delivered to him to prevent him getting out of the canal".

The killers then left the scene but returned twice that same morning to relish in their heinous act – and even took videos of cops combing the canal.

TWISTED TRIO

One video recovered from Bailey's device showed police vehicles at the scene while O'Brien could be heard saying: "Hot in Leigh Town."

Another found on O'Brien's phone was was "decorated with clouds and a rainbow" alongside a caption saying "Good Vibes".

After the killing, Maher made an internet search for "How long do u [sic] get for a murder".

All three were arrested in the early hours of March 26.

Bailey, of Leigh, was also found guilty of the attempted robbery of another man just hours before murdering Mr Anderton.

The 19-year-old also admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man who suffered life-changing injuries following an attack on September 1 last year.

Michael Brady QC said the victim, like Mr Anderton, was targeted because he was "vulnerable and alone".

O'Brien was also convicted by jurors of inflicting bodily harm on the same man.

Bailey admitted murdering Mr Anderton before the trial began and received a life term on Friday.

He must serve a minimum of 23 years and four months behind bars.

You watched him struggle for life, taunted him, and let him die.

Maher, of Standish, was also handed a life term and must serve a minimum of 16 years before he can be considered for parole.

O'Brien, of Leigh, was sentenced to 10 years in youth custody. 

The judge told the twisted teens: "This is a truly horrific case. The scale and savagery of the violence used almost defy belief.

"It is all the more shocking bearing in mind the youth of those involved.

"Scott Anderton suffered 35 sharp force wounds, some of them penetrating deep and some even cutting bone, as well as a number of blunt force injuries.

"Having been so terribly injured he was thrown into the canal while he was still alive.

"While he was in there you watched him struggle for life, taunted him, and let him die.

"You went back an hour later to see what you had done – and then, after a trip into Manchester, returned to observe and film the police activity, glorying in what you had done."

Mr Anderton's heartbroken family previously described him as the "most caring, loving, kindest person you could meet".

His dad told his son's killers: "My family have been left with a life sentence."

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