A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a 15-year-old boy in a knife attack near a school.
Leeds Crown Court heard how Khayri Mclean, 15, was stabbed while making his way home from North Huddersfield Trust School (NHTS), in the West Yorkshire town, on September 21 last year. On Wednesday (March 22), a 17-year-old boy, who was 16 at the time, was found guilty of murdering Khayri.
A 15-year-old youth admitted murder at a previous hearing. During a week-long trial, prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC told jurors that Khayri was met by the two defendants who were waiting for him as he left the school on Woodhouse Hall Road with his friends. Mr Sandiford said they “charged” towards him aggressively and the 15-year-old 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.
He said Khayri fell to the floor and was “defenceless on his back” when the older defendant, who denied murder, went after him, knife in hand, and stabbed him in his lower leg. Prosecutors said that although this defendant 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”.
Mr Sandiford told the jury of eight women and four men: “The prosecution says this was a well-planned and targeted attack on Khayri Mclean with the intention of killing him or at least causing him really serious harm.”
The jury heard the two youths were lying in wait for Khayri and carrying knives. They were dressed in black clothes with black balaclavas and their eyes covered, possibly by sunglasses.
Mr Sandiford said the 15-year-old shouted “Oi Khayri” or “Yo Khayri” before jumping in the air, swinging a knife with a 30cm blade and stabbing their victim in the chest. After attacking Khayri they ran away together back down the alleyway from which they emerged to attack him, the court heard.
Mr Sandiford said they stopped to remove their balaclavas and the clothing worn for the attack, which were disposed of in bags in woodland and later retrieved by others. After being stabbed, jurors heard, Khayri was helped up by his friends and ran a short distance back towards his school before he collapsed.
Paramedics, a passing doctor and air ambulance staff kept him alive long enough for him to be transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where he died later the same day. Jurors were shown CCTV footage of Khayri staggering backwards after the fatal blow and falling to the ground before being stabbed by the older defendant.
Giving evidence, the 17-year-old denied targeting Khayri, telling a court he went to the scene for a “fist fight” with another youth. He said he swung the knife as he was panicking at the scene and thought Khayri was trying to trip him.
The defendant said he did not realise he had stabbed him until police told him after his arrest. The boy showed no emotion as the jury verdict was read out after just under five hours of deliberations.
The judge, Mrs Justice Farbey, told the older defendant, who cannot be named, there will be a hearing on Thursday to discuss the next steps in the case but sentencing will take place at a later date to be fixed.
Detective Superintendent Marc Bowes of West Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation, said: “We welcome the verdict of the jury today and will now await the sentencing of both these youths for Khayri’s murder. Our thoughts are with Khayri’s relatives as they process the news from today and we continue to support them.”
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