By Bruce Fegen

A METHIL mother whose teenage son’s killers were jailed for just six years has expressed delight at the early response to a petition she launched calling for a change in the justice system.

Seventeen-year-old Ryan McPhee, who had moved south to live with his aunt in Morecambe, died in hospital four days after being struck over the head with a piece of wood after being confronted by Simon Humphreys and Luke Humphrey over the stealing of a motorbike, a theft which had nothing to do with the teenager.

Ryan’s grief-stricken mother Elizabeth decided to act after the two men convicted of her son’s manslaughter were given sentences that could see them being back on the streets within three years when they appeared at Preston Court in February.

With the help of her local MP John MacDougall, she launched her petition last Monday and has already gather more than 3000 names.

”The response has been absolutely fantastic, better than I’d dared to hope,” said Elizabeth, who is also the mother of daughters Megan (15) and Shardy (10).

“I quickly ran out of the 100 petition sheets I originally had and had another 100 printed, but such has been the interest from people that I’ve now got another 6000 copies.”

Elizabeth has being going round places such as pubs, clubs and shops in Methil and Levenmouth handing out copies of the petition and has been amazed at the response.

“I even went to a club where there was a bikers’ convention,” she said.

“There were about 300 or so there and I was terrified to begin with, but they were tremendous. I got a fantastic response from them.

“I must have been there for some two and a half hours getting names.”

With family and friends all over Scotland and beyond, Elizabeth is determined to have the petition circulated as widely as possible and plans to “jump on a bus to anywhere” to hand out copies.

“It cannot be right that Ryan’s killers can be back on the streets within three years when he’s been denied perhaps 60 years of life,” she said

“The law has to change and if I can get enough people to sign the petition, it might help to persuade the government.”