Slain teenager Kellon Hill's family expressed hope that the 12-year sentence handed to his killer will send a strong anti-violence message to the community.

The family, who are devout Seventh-day Adventists, also sent words of compassion to culprit Kellan Lewis and the others involved in the attack.

The victim's aunt, Lois Tucker, principal of the Bermuda Institute, said the whole of Bermuda has been victimised by such crimes.

"The justice system has a responsibility to do the best it can to try to guard the community from there being other victims and I believe the justice system did that [although] there are others who would have preferred a lighter sentence or a firmer sentence," she said.

"Kellon will not come back through a verdict or a sentence but if someone else's family can be spared from this kind of victimisation, justice will have been served.

"Bermuda is poised in a very precarious social dilemma. Our people feel they are being held hostage to youth violence, so for the judge to make a stand today, I think it's a step in trying to give a sense of social justice and balance to the Island."

Mr. Hill, 18, was attacked by a group of weapon-wielding youths, led by 16-year-old Lewis, as he left a party at Elbow Beach on August 9, 2008.

During the attack, which prosecutors say was "gang-type" in nature, the victim was stabbed three times in his chest. He died from a stab wound to the heart inflicted by Lewis with a knife.

Four other teenage friends of Lewis' originally went on trial along with him last year, accused of murder. However, they were cleared by the jury on the direction of judge Charles-Etta Simmons on the basis of lack of evidence. The jury failed to reach a verdict on Lewis, but he was eventually convicted of manslaughter after a retrial this year.

Mr. Hill's mother, teacher Gail Hill, said: "We will never be the same. Life has changed completely and I feel I'm completely broken. I can't express how I feel, there's no language to explain how I feel.

"However, I have a hope and I forgive them. I have to forgive them because I have to go on and live, to be free. I feel sorry for him [Lewis] and his family and his mom. I know how I feel."

She said the length of the sentence does not matter to her.

"It will not bring my son back. I am not comforted by that by my blessed hope. My faith is the only thing that has gotten me this far. It's the only thing that I recommend to his family at this time and to our community and to people who face similar situations."

And she added: "Life is very unpredictable. You never know. So I would just admonish the community to show love to one another. We need to be unified, we need to live our lives for each other and not be so materialistic. We need each other at the end of the day."

The victim's father, educational therapist Daniel Hill, said of the sentence: "There are no winners. Everybody knows I do not take joy in the sufferings of others. I don't care if he gets ten years, 20 years or three years. It's not going to bring my son back."

The victim's aunt, Sharon Virgil, said: "I feel for the Lewis family as well. It's unfortunate he had to do this [sentence] on his own when everybody in Bermuda knows he didn't do this on his own.

"But maybe an important message has been sent to the Island about what happens when you don't speak up and take responsibility. Maybe it will do something to challenge this code of silence. Something good has to come out of this."

One of the victim's four siblings, Kudre Hill, 25, is currently studying overseas. In an e-mailed message yesterday, he said: "I feel that the case was disappointing. At this point I choose not to focus on how the case went or how he was killed, I choose to focus on how he lived."

Another of Kellon Hill's aunts, Deborah Lowe, said: "My son, my nieces and my nephews' lives will never be the same. My son is still struggling because they were best friends. I can't imagine how Kellon's siblings and friends are coping with this. They are all victims."

Chief Justice Richard Ground meted out a 12-year sentence to Lewis which consists of 12 years for killing Mr. Hill, plus five years for knife possession to run concurrently. However, Paul Hill, who is the victim's great-uncle, said: "I was just sort of disappointed that the sentence was concurrent and not consecutive."

Daniel Hill's cousin, Jennifer O-Mara, said: "To tell you the truth I'm glad it's over but I don't think justice was served. I don't think it was enough time."

Mr. Hill was a former student at Bermuda Institute and Saltus Grammar School, and lived in Southampton with his family. He was due to begin a business course at Oakwood University in Alabama just a few days after his death.