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A person has been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years for the killing of a teenage Syrian refugee after the victim brushed past his girlfriend in the center of Huddersfield.

Court Hears Details of Fatal Altercation

The court in Leeds learned how the accused, twenty, stabbed the teenager, sixteen, soon after the boy brushed past his companion. He was convicted of homicide on last Thursday.

The victim, who had escaped conflict-ridden his Syrian hometown after being wounded in a bombing, had been residing in the Huddersfield area for only a short period when he met the defendant, who had been for a employment office visit that day and was intending to purchase eyelash glue with his partner.

Details of the Incident

The trial heard that the accused – who had consumed weed, cocaine, diazepam, an anesthetic and codeine – took “a minor offense” to the teenager “without malice” passing by his girlfriend in the street.

CCTV footage displayed the defendant making a remark to Ahmad, and summoning him after a brief exchange. As the youth walked over, Franco unfolded the knife on a switchblade he was carrying in his trousers and plunged it into the victim's neck.

Verdict and Judgment

The accused refuted the murder charge, but was convicted by a panel of jurors who took a little more than three hours to decide. He pleaded guilty to having a knife in a public area.

While sentencing the defendant on the fifth day of the week, judge Howard Crowson said that upon observing the victim, Franco “singled him out and enticed him to within your proximity to assault before taking his life”. He said his statement to have spotted a blade in the victim's belt was “untrue”.

He said of the victim that “it is evidence to the doctors and nurses attempting to rescue him and his desire to survive he even arrived at the hospital breathing, but in fact his wounds were unsurvivable”.

Relatives Reaction and Message

Reading out a declaration drafted by the victim's uncle the family member, with input from his parents, the prosecutor told the court that the victim's parent had experienced cardiac arrest upon being informed of his boy's killing, causing him to require surgery.

“Words cannot capture the consequence of their terrible act and the influence it had over the whole family,” the statement read. “The victim's mother still cries over his clothes as they carry his scent.”

He, who said Ahmad was dear to him and he felt guilty he could not shield him, went on to state that the victim had thought he had found “a peaceful country and the realization of hopes” in Britain, but instead was “tragically removed by the unnecessary and sudden attack”.

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

Background of the Victim

The proceedings heard the teenager had made his way for 90 days to arrive in Britain from Syria, visiting a shelter for teenagers in a city in Wales and attending college in the Swansea area before arriving in Huddersfield. The boy had hoped to work as a medical professional, driven in part by a wish to care for his mom, who was affected by a long-term health problem.