Two teenagers have been sentenced to a total of 34 years in prison for murdering schoolboy Khayri Mclean - and have been NAMED in a rare lifting of anonymity.
Jakele Pusey, 15, had pleaded guilty to the murder, while 17-year-old Jovani Harriott was found guilty in March this year following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
Pusey was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with 234 days already spent on remand to be taken off, meaning he will serve a further 15 years and 131 days.
Harriott was handed a sentence of 18 years, less the time spent on remand making a total of 17 years and 131 days.
The Honourable Mrs Justice Farbey DBE told the two boys during the sentencing hearing this afternoon: "Because of what you did Khayri has lost many years of his life and his family has lost a son and brother."
The judge lifted the reporting restriction on the teenagers and allowed the press to name them despite their juvenile ages.
She said it was in the interests of preventing knife crime in the future.
Wearing balaclavas and armed with knives, the pair "lay in wait" for Khayri, 15, as he walked home from school in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire on September 21 last year.
Khayri's heartbroken mum Charlie told the press outside court her son's killers are "cowards" and described how she was forced to watch "helplessly" as paramedics attempted to save his life.
Detective Superintendent Marc Bowes who led the investigation, said: “If ever a case has highlighted the dreadful consequences of knife crime and the culture of carrying such weapons, the appalling attack on Khayri outside his school was a crime that demonstrated the tragedy and rightly shocked people across the country.
"It will be hard for many of us to comprehend how what appears to have been a relatively low level dispute, has resulted in these males stabbing a fellow student to death at the end of an otherwise ordinary school day.
"The murder of Khayri was a planned, organised and targeted attack. The severity of the injuries they inflicted left Khayri with no chance of survival and left those closest to him without a much-loved son and friend and we can see to this day the impact his loss has had and continues to have on them.
“The lengthy sentences given to these males will not bring Khayri back to those who have lost him but will at least keep two very dangerous males off our streets for many years to come. “
The trial earlier heard how the teenagers "charged" towards Khayri aggressively as he left with his friends.
Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford said Pusey stabbed Khayri in the chest with what proved to be a fatal blow as it went through his ribs and penetrated one of his lungs and heart.
CCTV was shown to the court of the teens charging at Khayri, 'jumping' in the air while wielding the blade.
Mr Sandiford said: "Both were aggressive and went for him and the 15-year-old was described as 'jumping' into the air and swinging a blade, stabbing Khayri in the chest. That was a fatal blow that penetrated one of his lungs and heart."
The prosecutor said the intended area for the stabbing was Khayri's upper body, but his legs were in the way and instead he was stabbed in the leg.
Khayri fell to the floor and was "defenceless on his back" when Harriott, who had previously denied murder, stabbed him in his lower leg.
"The 15-year-old stabbed him and slowed down and dropped one of his two phones," Mr Sandiford said.
"Having been stabbed, Khayri Mclean staggered or ran backwards from his attackers but he was pursued by the 17-year-old who was also armed with a large knife and as he fell into the driveway.
"The 17-year-old had to leap over Khayri Mclean and he was so focused on him that he twisted in the air, keeping his focus on him, having brought himself to a stop he went over to where Khayri was on the floor, completely defenceless and stabbed him."
Prosecutors said that although he did not inflict the fatal blow, he was guilty of murder because the pair acted together and were “encouraging and supporting each other to carry out that attack”.
Khayri was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary's Major Trauma Unit but died as a result of his catastrophic injuries later that day.
'I knew he was dead as soon as I did it'
The prosecution had described it as a well-planned and targeted attack with the "intention of killing him or at least causing him really serious harm". While in custody, Pusey said he knew Khayri was dead "as soon as I did it".
Harriott was arrested in the early hours the following morning, September 22 last year, before the 15-year-old handed himself in to police later that same day.
Mr Sandiford said: "Part of the evidence relates to a covert transcript recorded of the 15-year-old speaking at YOI Wetherby.
"During that conversation, he admitted the murder and gave some indication of the motive and also discussed how he might present himself as a remorseful person or a person who suffered trauma in order to get a shorter sentence.
"There was a discussion about whether or not he was going to admit his guilt in court. He initially said he was going 'not guilty until proven guilty' and later said he had an alibi and as far as the phone dropped at the scene was concerned he would simply say he had lost that.
"He admitted the murder saying at that stage they hadn't intended to get Khayri Mclean and instead another boy.
"He said that another person had set up the attack and he said 'he knows what he did.' He said that person was talking to the 17-year-old and admitted it was him who was seen on CCTV dropping the phone but said 'The feds don't have anything on me.'
"He said: 'What I was wearing, it had pink shades innit, you couldn't see my eyes so came out of the snicket and said 'Yo Khayri' and did my thing innit, I knew he was dead as soon as I did it.'"
Khayri's mum: 'His fear will never leave me'
Khayri's mother revealed her son had dreams of becoming an engineer, before adding he "had no chance" against his relentless killers.
She told the court: "I am the mother of Khayri Mclean. He was a loving and caring person and loved playing rugby league and was really good at it. He was a son, brother and friend and had a girlfriend so it was lovely to see how happy he was. He always said he wanted to be an engineer."
She said on September 21 her life "changed forever" when "two cowards waited to attack Khayri."
Kharyi's mum said: "He had no chance. He had no opportunity to defend himself and the fear he went through when he was attacked and bled to death will never leave me."
The woman said she rushed to the scene after hearing Khayri had been injured and said: "I never got to say goodbye. I am living a nightmare. When I wake up when I manage to sleep it hits me like a ton of bricks... If I could trade places with Khayri I would... We are left trying to pick up the pieces.
"I feel so sorry for the schoolchildren who had to witness the horrific incident - something they should never had had to see.
"I ask myself what has this achieved? What has my son died for? I have lost my child and other parents have lost their two children who did this.
"This violence has to stop and carrying weapons has to stop.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the children and teachers who waited with Khayri and the paramedics and doctors who tried in vain to save his life."
Following his murder, Khayri's girlfriend Shyana paid an emotional tribute, saying: "He was the love of my life.
"We were talking about our future the other day. He was just the best person I knew.
"The last thing he said was I can’t wait to see you. He just told me how his day had been, he just said, ‘it’s been really good,’ and sent me a picture of him walking home, right by the bollards where he was killed.
"He would do anything for me, he would drop everything if I had something going on to be there."
Pupils 'streamed out of school as he lay on pavement'
The prosecutor said aggravating features include the location - near to the school - and the attack being witnessed by schoolchildren who were "streaming out... as he was laying down on the pavement."
Mr Sandiford said other aggravating features in the case include the degree of premeditation and planning.
He referred to the "changing of clothing and face covering and the use of a 'spotter' close to Khayri who was used to notify them when they got close to the location".
In mitigation, Richard Wright, representing Pusey, said he hasn't sought to explain away his conduct or seek the sympathy of the court.
He said: "His letters to your Ladyship are extremely open and often to his detriment, but what the Crown has sought to do is to take every open statement he has made, turn it against him.
"What is an offender to do - either tell the truth and be punished or at least engage openly?"
In mitigation for Harriott, Mohammed Nawaz said: ""In my submission, that report in every other respect is extremely positive. It describes him as being well-behaved, observing all rules in detention, reference to him being diagnosed in 2014 of ADHD and the resulting impact that had on his education but in detention has been described as a model student, mild mannered and respectful.
"Importantly, showing genuine and real remorse for this event."
