‘Manhunt’ taken off shelves after murder

RETAIL chains Dixons and Game took the controversial computer game Manhunt off its shelves yesterday with immediate effect.

The move came after the parents of a schoolboy murdered by his older friend blamed the violent game for their son’s death.

Warren Leblanc, 17, of Braunstone Frith, Leicester, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Stefan Pakeerah in February this year.

Leblanc had savagely beaten his victim with a claw hammer and stabbed him repeatedly after luring him to a local park.

Leicester Crown Court heard that the defendant had planned to rob Stefan.

However, after the hearing, Stefan’s mother and father claimed Leblanc had been obsessed by the game Manhunt in which players score points for violent killings.

A spokeswoman for Dixons said: “We are taking it off the shelves with immediate effect.”

Computer game retailer Game announced that it had taken Manhunt off its shelves.

A spokes- woman for the company said: “It’s now not available in our stores. We have taken it (Manhunt) off our shelves as a mark of respect.”

She could not confirm if the Rock Star product would be off Game’s shelves permanently.

US lawyer Jack Thompson has campaigned against the sale of violent video games to children in the US for five years and said he had written to Manhunt’s producers, Rock Star, warning them it could inspire copycat attacks.

Mr Thompson believes young people can be turned into killers by “training” on the bloodthirsty simulations.

He now plans to help Stefan’s family to spearhead a campaign against violent computer games in Britain.