🔗 Share this article Individual Imprisoned for At Least 23 Years for Murdering Syrian Boy in Huddersfield A person has been jailed for life with a lowest sentence of 23 years for the murder of a young Syrian asylum seeker after the teenager passed his girlfriend in downtown Huddersfield. Court Learns Details of Deadly Altercation Leeds crown court heard how Alfie Franco, twenty, attacked with a knife the victim, 16, not long after the boy walked by the defendant's partner. He was found guilty of homicide on Thursday. The victim, who had fled battle-scarred the city of Homs after being injured in a bombing, had been residing 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 female companion. Particulars of the Assault Leeds crown court heard that the defendant – who had consumed marijuana, cocaine, a prescription medication, ketamine and codeine – took “some petty exception” to Ahmad “innocuously” passing by his girlfriend in the road. CCTV footage revealed Franco uttering words to the teenager, and summoning him after a brief exchange. As Ahmad came closer, the attacker unfolded the knife on a switchblade he was concealing in his pants and drove it into the victim's neck. Verdict and Sentencing The accused denied murder, but was found guilty by a trial jury who deliberated for just over three hours. He confessed to carrying a blade in a public area. While handing Franco his sentence on Friday, judge Howard Crowson said that upon spotting the teenager, Franco “identified him as a target and enticed him to within your range to attack before ending his life”. He said Franco’s claim to have spotted a blade in the victim's belt was “a lie”. Crowson said of the teenager that “it stands as proof to the doctors and nurses trying to save his life and his will to live he even reached the hospital with signs of life, but in reality his injuries were lethal”. Relatives Impact and Statement Reading out a declaration prepared by his relative Ghazwan Al Ibrahim, with contributions from his mother and father, Richard Wright KC told the trial that the boy's dad had suffered a heart attack upon hearing the news of his child's passing, necessitating medical intervention. “Words cannot capture the consequence of their awful offense and the impact it had over all involved,” the testimony stated. “The victim's mother still weeps over his belongings as they remind her of him.” The uncle, who said Ahmad was as close as a child and he felt ashamed he could not shield him, went on to explain that Ahmad had thought he had found “a safe haven and the realization of hopes” in the UK, but instead was “cruelly taken away by the senseless and unprovoked act”. “In my role as his uncle, I will always carry the guilt that he had traveled to England, and I could not protect him,” he said in a declaration after the sentencing. “Our beloved boy we care for you, we miss you and we will do for ever.” History of the Teenager The proceedings was told Ahmad had made his way for a quarter of a year to reach the UK from Syria, visiting a shelter for young people in Swansea and studying in the Welsh city before arriving in Huddersfield. The young man had aspired to be a doctor, motivated partly by a wish to support his parent, who suffered from a persistent condition.