Person Jailed for At Least 23 Years for Murdering Syrian-born Boy in Huddersfield

A person has been given a life sentence with a lowest sentence of 23 years for the murder of a young Syrian refugee after the boy walked by his companion in downtown Huddersfield.

Trial Learns Particulars of Fatal Confrontation

The court in Leeds was told how the accused, aged 20, stabbed the victim, 16, shortly after the young man walked by the defendant's partner. He was convicted of the killing on Thursday.

The teenager, who had left battle-scarred the city of Homs after being wounded in a blast, had been living in the local community for only a short period when he crossed paths with the defendant, who had been for a meeting at the job center that day and was planning to get beauty product with his female companion.

Particulars of the Incident

The trial heard that the accused – who had taken weed, cocaine, diazepam, ketamine and codeine – took “some petty exception” to the boy “without malice” walking past his girlfriend in the road.

Security camera video revealed the man uttering words to the teenager, and calling him over after a short verbal altercation. As the youth came closer, the individual deployed the weapon on a flick knife he was concealing in his pants and plunged it into the teenager's throat.

Trial Outcome and Judgment

The defendant pleaded not guilty to murder, but was convicted by a jury who deliberated for just over three hours. He pleaded guilty to having a knife in a public place.

While delivering the judgment on the fifth day of the week, the presiding judge said that upon observing the victim, the defendant “singled him out and drew him to within your proximity to strike before ending his life”. He said Franco’s claim to have seen a weapon in the boy's clothing was “false”.

He said of the teenager that “it stands as proof to the doctors and nurses attempting to rescue him and his desire to survive he even reached the hospital with signs of life, but in fact his wounds were fatal”.

Relatives Impact and Message

Reading out a statement drafted by Ahmad’s uncle the family member, with help from his family, the prosecutor told the court that the victim's parent had suffered a heart attack upon being informed of his boy's killing, causing him to require surgery.

“It is hard to express the effect of their heinous crime and the impact it had over all involved,” the message read. “The boy's mom still sobs over his belongings as they carry his scent.”

The uncle, who said his nephew was dear to him and he felt guilty he could not shield him, went on to declare that Ahmad had thought he had found “the land of peace and the achievement of aspirations” in the UK, but instead was “cruelly taken away by the senseless and unprovoked act”.

“As Ahmad’s uncle, I will always bear the shame that the boy had traveled to England, and I could not protect him,” he said in a declaration after the judgment. “Ahmad we care for you, we miss you and we will continue always.”

History of the Victim

The court learned Ahmad had made his way for three months to arrive in Britain from his home country, staying at a asylum seeker facility for young people in the Welsh city and studying in the Welsh city before moving to his final destination. The teenager had aspired to be a physician, inspired partially by a desire to care for his mom, who suffered from a long-term health problem.