Exclusive: A young killer who grinned while stabbing his victim shows signs of thrill-seeking violence, obsession with knives, and possible emerging psychopathic traits, according to a criminal psychologist
A young killer who stabbed an 18-year-old lad through the heart – and grinned as he did it – has been sentenced to 20 years after being found guilty of murder.
Jurors at Derby Crown Court heard that Charles Hartle, who was aged 17 at the time, carried out an “utterly pointless killing” when he brutally attacked Noah Smedley, 18, on a dark street in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on the evening of December 28 last year with a Rambo-style knife he kept hidden in his tracksuit bottoms. Hartle, now 18, was sentenced to be detained for life at His Majesty’s pleasure at the same court today with a minimum of 20 years.
The chilling details of the teen’s rampage raise disturbing questions about what drove him to commit such violence. Criminal psychologist John Eastham, of Private Investigations UK, says the behaviour points to far more than a rash or impulsive outburst.
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“The fact that this young man appeared to gain satisfaction in the very moment of attack, expressed through a grin, suggests an element of pleasure or emotional gratification,” Eastham tells The Mirror. “That is a red flag. It indicates that the crime may not have been about the immediate situation, but about the power and excitement derived from using a weapon and inflicting harm.”
The helpless victim wasn’t armed at the time of the attack. The court heard Hartle and his friends arranged to meet Noah who arrived at the scene on an electric scooter and sold them cannabis before the fatal stabbing.
The jury heard that Hartle and his friends ran from the scene leaving Noah “staggering and bleeding profusely”. The knife penetrated the right ventricle of Noah’s heart and his left lung, causing internal bleeding and his lung to collapse.
Chillingly, his killer had an “unhealthy” interest in knives, regularly carrying a Rambo knife while out in public. Eastham warns that an obsessive fixation on weapons can signal something far more dangerous.
“Forensic psychology often considers such obsessions as a potential precursor to violent fantasy,” he says. “In some cases, the weapon takes on symbolic importance: it becomes part of the individual’s identity, a source of imagined power, or even an extension of the self.”
Adolescence is already a volatile stage, Eastham notes. The brain’s frontal lobes – the areas responsible for empathy, impulse control and long-term thinking – are still developing.
When this immaturity is paired with compulsive or sadistic tendencies, the risks of escalation increase sharply.
“What we may be seeing here is the escalation of violent fantasy into lived reality,” Eastham explains. “Smiling during the act is particularly significant: it suggests a sense of achievement, a moment where fantasy and reality fused, offering exhilaration rather than horror.”
Such behaviour, Eastham adds, often aligns with emerging psychopathic traits or conduct disorders. These are patterns where empathy is absent, and cruelty is not only tolerated but enjoyed.
“Young offenders with callous-unemotional traits can appear outwardly charming, but show coldness, lack of remorse, or even pleasure in cruelty,” he says. “That makes intervention incredibly difficult once patterns are entrenched.”
While the case is extreme, Eastham stresses that it highlights an urgent need for vigilance in spotting red flags before tragedy strikes.
“Schools, families, and community services must be alert to warning signs – fixation with knives, violent drawings, or pleasure in causing distress,” he says. “Early identification and tailored intervention can help prevent tragedies before they unfold.”
In her victim impact statement, Lucy Warner, Noah’s mother, said: “My son is a pile of ash for no reason. My family is living an eternal nightmare.”
Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “This killing was yet another reminder of the dreadful epidemic of knife crime. You armed yourself with a horrendous-looking Rambo knife and for no apparent reason plunged that knife into Noah’s chest. Only you know the true reason why you stabbed Noah, others can only speculate. There was evidence throughout the trial of your fascination with knives and using them to at least cause very serious injuries.”