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A person has been given a life sentence with a minimum period of 23 years for the homicide of a teenage Syrian refugee after the teenager walked by his partner in downtown Huddersfield.

Court Learns Particulars of Deadly Confrontation

Leeds crown court heard how the accused, aged 20, stabbed the teenager, 16, soon after the boy brushed past the defendant's partner. He was found guilty of homicide on last Thursday.

Ahmad, who had fled battle-scarred Homs after being wounded in a bombing, had been residing in the West Yorkshire town for only a couple of weeks when he met his attacker, who had been for a jobcentre appointment that day and was planning to get beauty product with his partner.

Particulars of the Assault

Leeds crown court learned that the accused – who had taken cannabis, cocaine, a prescription medication, an anesthetic and codeine – took “some petty exception” to the boy “without malice” going past his partner in the public space.

Security camera video revealed Franco saying something to the victim, and gesturing him closer after a short verbal altercation. As the youth walked over, the attacker unfolded the knife on a switchblade he was carrying in his pants and drove it into the victim's neck.

Verdict and Sentencing

The accused pleaded not guilty to murder, but was judged guilty by a panel of jurors who took a little more than three hours to decide. He admitted guilt to carrying a blade in a public place.

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

Crowson said of the teenager that “it is a testament to the medical personnel attempting to rescue him and his will to live he even made it to the hospital alive, but in reality his trauma were unsurvivable”.

Relatives Reaction and Message

Presenting a statement drafted by his relative the family member, with help from his family, Richard Wright KC told the judges that the teenager’s father had experienced cardiac arrest upon learning of the incident of his son’s death, necessitating medical intervention.

“It is hard to express the impact of their awful offense and the impact it had over all involved,” the message said. “The victim's mother still weeps over his garments as they carry his scent.”

Ghazwan, who said Ahmad was like a son and he felt guilty he could not protect him, went on to explain that Ahmad had thought he had found “the land of peace and the fulfilment of dreams” in England, but instead was “brutally snatched by the senseless and unprovoked act”.

“In my role as his uncle, I will always feel responsible that Ahmad had arrived in Britain, and I could not keep him safe,” he said in a message after the judgment. “Dear Ahmad we adore you, we miss you and we will do for ever.”

Background of the Teenager

The trial was told the teenager had journeyed for a quarter of a year to reach the UK from the Middle East, visiting a refugee centre for young people in a city in Wales and studying in the Swansea area before moving to West Yorkshire. The teenager had dreamed of becoming a doctor, driven in part by a wish to care for his mom, who was affected by a long-term health problem.