Man who killed a Skelmersdale schoolboy in frenzied knife attack is jailed for life

Appearing at Preston Crown Court, Felipe Diglio Figueiredo, 28, was told he will have to serve a minimum of 23 years – one for each of the knife blows he inflicted - before being eligible for parole.

Police were called to Digmoor Road in Skelmersdale at just after 9pm on June 29 2023, where Dylan was found with multiple stab injuries to his chest, neck, abdomen and arms.

Despite best efforts of emergency services on scene, the schoolboy was pronounced dead shortly after and a murder investigation was launched.

Officers investigating the tragic circumstances surrounding the horrific attack, revealed how Figueiredo’s movements leading up to and following the incident had been caught on CCTV.

A jury heard how a motorbike had been stolen from Figueiredo’s home the previous evening, and following a flurry of sightings of the motorbike being ridden through nearby streets, Figueiredo set off from his home at around 8.35pm to find it.

The court head he conducted his own investigation to find the motorbike, receiving information from social media users who had seen it being ridden that evening.

A witness told how Dylan and another man crossed the footbridge over Digmoor Road, where Figueiredo confronted the pair and a scuffle ensued. This cumulated in Figueiredo and Dylan falling down the embankment and into the bushes below, where Dylan sustained his mortal injuries and where he was ultimately found by emergency services.

Following the attack, Figueiredo fled the scene, leaving Dylan to die and discarding the knife. Once home, he called police and admitted to the stabbing, but claimed that it had been in self-defence after Dylan had first tried to attack him.

Video doorbell footage was recovered by officers showing Figueiredo walking through nearby streets in the moments before the fatal stabbing. In this footage, an outline of a knife is seen protruding through the back of Figueiredo’s waistband, concealed by his jumper.

Figueiredo would later claim he hadn’t realised that he had taken the knife from Dylan and made punching motions only to defend himself. A post-mortem examination of Dylan’s body proved inconsistent with this account, both in the sheer volume of injuries as well as Dylan’s defensive wounds, but also due to the type of lacerations made – the longest of which was 13cm.

Though the knife was never recovered, Lancashire Constabulary officers found a knife sheath at the scene. The sheath was found to contain Figueiredo’s DNA, which was inconsistent with his account of managing to overpower Dylan in an act of self-defence, only when the knife had already been removed from the sheath.

Following the trial, the jury found Figueiredo unanimously guilty of murder.

Dylan’s mother in a statement outside court following the sentencing said: “Every morning, we wake up and remind ourselves that our boy Dylan is gone, gone forever.

“He was 15 years old, full of life and described by anyone who knew him as a big friendly giant with a heart of gold. Dylan was a boy who would light up the room when he walked in, he would have you laughing until you couldn’t breathe.

“He told us he loved us every day and he was about to embark on his dream career as a mechanic.

"Yes, he was not perfect, but he did not deserve this, and no one had the right to take him away from us”.

Det Chief Insp Andy Fallows, of Lancashire’s Force Major Investigation Team, said: “Felipe Figueredo’s actions and the level of violence he used has led to a family being robbed of their much loved son and brother. I commend Dylan’s family on the dignity they have shown throughout the proceedings, particularly whilst hearing distressing details about Dylan’s murder, that no family should ever have to endure. My thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.

“Though Figueirdo was upset about the theft of a motorbike, the reckless and extreme violence he demonstrated was shocking and completely disproportionate. He not only murdered Dylan, but also tried to implicate him when all the evidence suggests that it was in fact Figueirdo who brought the knife and initiated the attack.

“This case serves to highlight the devastation caused by the impulsive decision to carry a knife. One small decision can wreak havoc on your future, destroy lives and leave families dealing with unimaginable grief. As a force, we will continue to target those intent on carrying knives and bring them before the courts.

“Dylan Bragger lost his life over a motorbike and no sentence can ever make up for the devastation caused to his family and friends. We hope the fact that Dylan’s killer will have to serve a significant period of time in custody before he is even eligible to go before the parole board will bring them some comfort."