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

Trial Learns Details of Fatal Altercation

Leeds crown court was told how the defendant, 20, attacked with a knife Ahmad Al Ibrahim, 16, shortly after the young man brushed past the defendant's partner. He was found guilty of homicide on the fourth day of the week.

The teenager, who had fled conflict-ridden the city of Homs after being wounded in a blast, had been living in the Huddersfield area for only a short period when he encountered his attacker, who had been for a employment office visit that day and was going to buy eyelash glue with his partner.

Particulars of the Incident

The trial learned that the accused – who had taken cannabis, a stimulant drug, a prescription medication, ketamine and a painkiller – took “some petty exception” to the teenager “harmlessly” passing by his girlfriend in the street.

CCTV footage showed the man making a remark to Ahmad, and gesturing him closer after a quick argument. As the boy walked over, the attacker unfolded the knife on a folding knife he was concealing in his trousers and drove it into the boy’s neck.

Trial Outcome and Sentencing

The accused pleaded not guilty to murder, but was found guilty by a trial jury who deliberated for just over three hours. He admitted guilt to having a knife in a public place.

While sentencing the defendant on Friday, judge Howard Crowson said that upon observing the victim, Franco “identified him as a target and enticed him to within your proximity to attack before killing him”. He said Franco’s claim to have spotted a blade in the boy's clothing was “false”.

The judge said of the teenager that “it is evidence to the medical personnel working to keep him alive and his desire to survive he even reached the hospital with signs of life, but in reality his wounds were fatal”.

Relatives Reaction and Message

Presenting a declaration written by Ahmad’s uncle the family member, with contributions from his mother and father, the prosecutor told the court that the victim's parent had had a heart episode upon being informed of his boy's killing, leading to an operation.

“Words cannot capture the impact of their terrible act and the effect it had over the whole family,” the message read. “The boy's mom still cries over his clothes as they carry his scent.”

He, who said Ahmad was like a son and he felt guilty he could not shield him, went on to state that the victim had thought he had found “a safe haven and the achievement of aspirations” in England, but instead was “tragically removed by the unnecessary and sudden attack”.

“In my role as his uncle, I will always carry the guilt that he had traveled to England, and I could not ensure his safety,” he said in a statement after the verdict. “Our beloved boy we care for you, we miss you and we will continue always.”

Background of the Victim

The proceedings was told the victim had travelled for a quarter of a year to get to England from the Middle East, stopping in a refugee centre for youths in Swansea and going to school in the Welsh city before arriving in his final destination. The boy had aspired to be a physician, inspired partially by a desire to look after his mother, who suffered from a persistent condition.