🔗 Share this article

A man has been given a life sentence with a minimum period of 23 years for the homicide of a young Syrian refugee after the teenager brushed past his companion in downtown Huddersfield.

Court Hears Details of Fatal Altercation

A Leeds courtroom was told how the accused, aged 20, knifed the victim, 16, soon after the boy passed his companion. He was declared guilty of homicide on Thursday.

The teenager, who had fled conflict-ridden Homs after being injured in a blast, had been living in the West Yorkshire town for only a short period when he encountered Franco, who had been for a jobcentre appointment that day and was intending to purchase cosmetic adhesive with his girlfriend.

Details of the Incident

The trial heard that Franco – who had consumed weed, a stimulant drug, diazepam, ketamine and a painkiller – took “some petty exception” to the boy “harmlessly” passing by his partner in the street.

Security camera video revealed the defendant making a remark to Ahmad, and calling him over after a brief exchange. As the youth walked over, the individual deployed the weapon on a flick knife he was concealing in his trousers and drove it into the boy’s neck.

Trial Outcome and Judgment

The defendant pleaded not guilty to murder, but was convicted by a trial jury who considered the evidence for about three hours. He confessed to having a knife in a public place.

While delivering the judgment on the fifth day of the week, judge Howard Crowson said that upon spotting the teenager, the defendant “marked him as a victim and lured him to within your range to strike before taking his life”. He said his statement to have spotted a blade in Ahmad’s waistband was “a lie”.

He said of the victim that “it is a testament to the medical personnel working to keep him alive and his desire to survive he even made it to the hospital alive, but in fact his trauma were fatal”.

Family Impact and Statement

Reading out a statement drafted by Ahmad’s uncle Ghazwan Al Ibrahim, with input from his parents, Richard Wright KC told the court that the boy's dad had had a heart episode upon being informed of his son’s death, necessitating medical intervention.

“Words cannot capture the effect of their awful offense and the effect it had over the whole family,” the message said. “The victim's mother still cries over his belongings as they remind her of him.”

Ghazwan, who said his nephew was dear to him and he felt remorseful he could not shield him, went on to declare that the victim had thought he had found “the land of peace and the fulfilment of dreams” in the UK, but instead was “brutally snatched by the pointless and random violence”.

“As Ahmad’s uncle, I will always carry the guilt that Ahmad had traveled to England, and I could not protect him,” he said in a message after the sentencing. “Our beloved boy we love you, we miss you and we will do for ever.”

History of the Teenager

The proceedings learned the victim had made his way for three months to get to England from his home country, staying at a shelter for teenagers in the Welsh city and studying in the local college before relocating to West Yorkshire. The young man had aspired to be a medical professional, driven in part by a wish to care for his mom, who was affected by a chronic medical issue.