 The controversy surrounding Manhunt reached a peak on July 28 , 2004 , when the game was linked to the murder of 14 @-@ year @-@ old Stefan Pakeerah by his 17 @-@ year @-@ old friend Warren Leblanc in Leicestershire , England . Initial media reports claimed that police had found a copy of the game in Leblanc 's bedroom , which police had seized as evidence , and Giselle Pakeerah , the victim 's mother , stated " I think that I heard some of Warren 's friends say that he was obsessed by this game . To quote from the website that promotes it , it calls it a psychological experience , not a game , and it encourages brutal killing . If he was obsessed by it , it could well be that the boundaries for him became quite hazy . " Stefan 's father , Patrick , added " they were playing a game called Manhunt . The way Warren committed the murder this is how the game is set out , killing people using weapons like hammers and knives . There is some connection between the game and what he has done . " Patrick continued " The object of Manhunt is not just to go out and kill people . It 's a point @-@ scoring game where you increase your score depending on how violent the killing is . That explains why Stefan 's murder was as horrific as it was . If these games influence kids to go out and kill , then we do not want them in the shops . " A spokesman for the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers ' Association ( ELSPA ) responded to the accusations by stating " We sympathize enormously with the family and parents of Stefan Pakeerah . However , we reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events and the sale of the video game Manhunt . The game in question is classified 18 by the British Board of Film Classification and therefore should not be in the possession of a juvenile . Simply being in someone 's possession does not and should not lead to the conclusion that a game is responsible for these tragic events . " 
