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A person has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years for the murder of a teenage Syrian refugee after the boy walked by his companion in the center of Huddersfield.

Trial Learns Details of Deadly Altercation

The court in Leeds was told how the defendant, 20, knifed the teenager, aged 16, shortly after the boy passed Franco’s girlfriend. He was declared guilty of murder on the fourth day of the week.

The teenager, who had fled battle-scarred Homs after being wounded in a explosion, had been residing in the local community 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 Attack

The court heard that the defendant – who had consumed weed, a stimulant drug, diazepam, ketamine and a painkiller – took “some petty exception” to Ahmad “harmlessly” passing by his companion in the public space.

Security camera video showed Franco uttering words to the teenager, and gesturing him closer after a quick argument. As the youth came closer, the individual opened the blade on a flick knife he was holding in his trousers and thrust it into the victim's neck.

Verdict and Judgment

The defendant denied murder, but was found guilty by a panel of jurors who considered the evidence for about three hours. He admitted guilt to having a knife in a public space.

While sentencing the defendant on Friday, judge Howard Crowson said that upon spotting the teenager, the defendant “singled him out and drew him to within your range to attack before killing him”. He said Franco’s claim to have seen a weapon in the boy's clothing was “untrue”.

The judge said of the victim that “it is a testament to the medical personnel working to keep him alive and his will to live he even arrived at the hospital breathing, but in fact his injuries were fatal”.

Family Reaction and Message

Presenting a declaration prepared by the victim's uncle the family member, with contributions from his mother and father, the prosecutor told the trial that the victim's parent had experienced cardiac arrest upon being informed of his child's passing, causing him to require surgery.

“It is hard to express the consequence of their heinous crime and the influence it had over all involved,” the statement stated. “His mother still sobs over his clothes as they carry his scent.”

The uncle, who said the boy was dear to him and he felt remorseful he could not keep him safe, went on to state that Ahmad had thought he had found “a safe haven and the fulfilment of dreams” in the UK, but instead was “cruelly taken away by the pointless and random violence”.

“In my role as his uncle, I will always carry the guilt that he had arrived in Britain, and I could not ensure his safety,” he said in a declaration after the judgment. “Our beloved boy we adore you, we yearn for you and we will continue always.”

History of the Teenager

The proceedings heard the teenager had journeyed for 90 days to get to England from Syria, visiting a refugee centre for young people in a city in Wales and attending college in the Swansea area before relocating to West Yorkshire. The young man had dreamed of becoming a medical professional, driven in part by a hope to look after his mother, who had a persistent condition.