Man is jailed after knife murder of Syrian refugee, 16

ALFIE Franco was jailed for life yesterday with a minimum term of 23 years at Leeds Crown Court for murdering 16-year-old Syrian refugee Ahmad Al Ibrahim after he brushed past his girlfriend.

- PAUL TURNER

Franco was found guilty of the crime on Thursday following a trial. He admitted to a jury he stabbed the victim “in the neck” after he had ‘innocuously’ walked past his girlfriend in Huddersfield, but denied murder

Teenager Ahmad had only been living in the West Yorkshire town for a couple of weeks after moving from south Wales.

Franco, 20, of The Park, Kirkburton, attacked him after their paths had crossed in a crowded town-centre shopping area on April 3.

As Ahmad walked past Franco's girlfriend, the court heard, he “may have made, at most, minor contact with her”. Franco then called Ahmad back.

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said: “Even as the boy started to walk towards him Alfie Franco was reaching into his jogging bottoms and opening the blade on a flick knife that he was illegally carrying.

“He concealed the knife as he opened it, so that the boy did not appreciate the terrible danger he was in.”