🔗 Share this article

A individual has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 23 years for the killing of a teenage Syrian asylum seeker after the teenager brushed past his partner in downtown Huddersfield.

Trial Hears Particulars of Fatal Altercation

Leeds crown court learned how Alfie Franco, aged 20, knifed the teenager, 16, not long after the young man brushed past his companion. He was declared guilty of the killing on the fourth day of the week.

Ahmad, who had fled war-torn Homs after being hurt in a blast, had been residing in the West Yorkshire town for only a short period when he crossed paths with his attacker, who had been for a meeting at the job center that day and was intending to purchase cosmetic adhesive with his girlfriend.

Details of the Attack

The court heard that the defendant – who had used marijuana, a stimulant drug, a prescription medication, ketamine and codeine – took “some petty exception” to Ahmad “harmlessly” passing by his companion in the street.

Security camera video revealed Franco making a remark to the teenager, and calling him over after a short verbal altercation. As the youth approached, the individual unfolded the knife on a flick knife he was holding in his clothing and drove it into the boy’s neck.

Trial Outcome and Judgment

The accused refuted the murder charge, but was found guilty by a jury who took a little more than three hours to decide. He confessed to possessing a knife in a public place.

While handing Franco his sentence on Friday, the presiding judge said that upon observing the victim, the defendant “identified him as a target and enticed him to within your proximity to strike before taking his life”. He said the defendant's assertion to have noticed a knife in Ahmad’s waistband was “false”.

The judge said of Ahmad that “it stands as proof to the healthcare workers working to keep him alive and his desire to survive he even made it to the hospital alive, but in fact his wounds were fatal”.

Family Impact and Message

Reciting a statement written by his relative Ghazwan Al Ibrahim, with help from his family, the legal representative told the court that the boy's dad had suffered a heart attack upon hearing the news of his boy's killing, causing him to require surgery.

“I am unable to describe the effect of their heinous crime and the influence it had over all involved,” the message stated. “His mother still weeps over his garments as they smell of him.”

He, who said his nephew was dear to him and he felt ashamed he could not keep him safe, went on to explain that Ahmad had thought he had found “a safe haven and the realization of hopes” in England, but instead was “tragically removed by the unnecessary and sudden attack”.

“As Ahmad’s uncle, I will always carry the guilt that Ahmad had arrived in Britain, and I could not ensure his safety,” he said in a message after the judgment. “Ahmad we adore you, we long for you and we will do for ever.”

History of the Teenager

The court heard the victim had journeyed for 90 days to arrive in Britain from Syria, stopping in a refugee centre for young people in a city in Wales and attending college in the local college before relocating to West Yorkshire. The young man had dreamed of becoming a doctor, driven in part by a desire to support his parent, who had a persistent condition.