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A person has been sentenced to life with a minimum period of 23 years for the killing of a teenage Syrian asylum seeker after the boy passed his companion in Huddersfield town centre.

Trial Learns Details of Fatal Altercation

The court in Leeds learned how Alfie Franco, twenty, knifed Ahmad Al Ibrahim, aged 16, not long after the boy walked by Franco’s girlfriend. He was found guilty of murder on Thursday.

The teenager, who had escaped war-torn Homs after being wounded in a explosion, had been staying in the West Yorkshire town for only a short period when he crossed paths with Franco, who had been for a employment office visit that day and was going to buy cosmetic adhesive with his girlfriend.

Details of the Assault

The court learned that the defendant – who had taken weed, cocaine, a prescription medication, ketamine and a painkiller – took “a minor offense” to the teenager “harmlessly” walking past his girlfriend in the road.

Security camera video revealed Franco uttering words to Ahmad, and calling him over after a brief exchange. As the youth approached, Franco opened the blade on a switchblade he was holding in his trousers and drove it into the boy’s neck.

Verdict and Sentencing

Franco pleaded not guilty to murder, but was judged guilty by a panel of jurors who deliberated for just over three hours. He admitted guilt to possessing a knife in a public space.

While handing Franco his sentence on Friday, judge Howard Crowson said that upon spotting the teenager, the defendant “marked him as a victim and drew him to within your range to attack before taking his life”. He said Franco’s claim to have seen a weapon in Ahmad’s waistband was “false”.

The judge said of the victim that “it stands as proof to the healthcare workers attempting to rescue him and his determination to live he even reached the hospital with signs of life, but in fact his trauma were fatal”.

Family Reaction and Statement

Presenting a statement prepared by Ahmad’s uncle his uncle, with help from his family, the legal representative told the trial that the boy's dad had experienced cardiac arrest upon learning of the incident of his child's passing, leading to an operation.

“Words cannot capture the effect of their awful offense and the impact it had over all involved,” the message said. “The victim's mother still sobs over his clothes as they carry his scent.”

Ghazwan, who said the boy was as close as a child and he felt guilty he could not keep him safe, went on to explain that the victim had thought he had found “a peaceful country and the achievement of aspirations” in the UK, but instead was “brutally snatched by the senseless and unprovoked act”.

“As Ahmad’s uncle, I will always feel responsible that he had traveled to England, and I could not ensure his safety,” he said in a statement after the sentencing. “Ahmad we love you, we miss you and we will feel this way eternally.”

Background of the Victim

The proceedings heard the victim had journeyed for 90 days to reach the UK from Syria, staying at a shelter for young people in a city in Wales and going to school in the Welsh city before relocating to Huddersfield. The boy had dreamed of becoming a physician, inspired partially by a wish to support his parent, who was affected by a long-term health problem.