🔗 Share this article

A person has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years for the killing of a young Syrian refugee after the victim walked by his partner in downtown Huddersfield.

Trial Learns Details of Fatal Altercation

The court in Leeds heard how Alfie Franco, twenty, knifed the victim, aged 16, soon after the teenager walked by his companion. He was declared guilty of the killing on Thursday.

Ahmad, who had escaped battle-scarred Homs after being injured in a blast, had been living in the West Yorkshire town for only a couple of weeks when he encountered his attacker, who had been for a employment office visit that day and was going to buy cosmetic adhesive with his partner.

Details of the Attack

The trial learned that Franco – who had used marijuana, a stimulant drug, diazepam, ketamine and codeine – took “a minor offense” to the teenager “harmlessly” passing by his girlfriend in the road.

CCTV footage showed the defendant uttering words to the teenager, and summoning him after a short verbal altercation. As Ahmad came closer, the individual unfolded the knife on a switchblade he was carrying in his clothing and drove it into the boy’s neck.

Verdict and Sentencing

The accused pleaded not guilty to murder, but was convicted by a panel of jurors who considered the evidence for about three hours. He confessed to having a knife in a public space.

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 enticed him to within your range to assault before taking his life”. He said his statement to have noticed a knife in the boy's clothing was “a lie”.

The judge said of Ahmad that “it is a testament to the healthcare workers trying to save his life and his desire to survive he even made it to the hospital alive, but in truth his wounds were unsurvivable”.

Relatives Reaction and Message

Reading out a message drafted by his relative his uncle, with input from his parents, the legal representative told the court that the boy's dad had suffered a heart attack upon being informed of his child's passing, causing him to require surgery.

“Words cannot capture the consequence of their awful offense and the influence it had over everyone,” the message stated. “The boy's mom still cries over his garments as they smell of him.”

He, who said Ahmad was like a son and he felt remorseful he could not keep him safe, went on to explain that the victim had thought he had found “the land of peace and the achievement of aspirations” in England, but instead was “cruelly taken away by the pointless and random violence”.

“As Ahmad’s uncle, I will always bear the shame that the boy had come to the UK, and I could not ensure his safety,” he said in a declaration after the judgment. “Ahmad we care for you, we miss you and we will do for ever.”

History of the Victim

The trial learned the teenager had made his way for three months to reach the UK from Syria, visiting a refugee centre for young people in Swansea and going to school in the Welsh city before relocating to his final destination. The young man had aspired to be a medical professional, driven in part by a hope to care for his mom, who suffered from a chronic medical issue.