A man has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 23 years after being found guilty of murder for stabbing 16-year-old Ahmad Al Ibrahim, a Syrian refugee, in Huddersfield town centre on 3 April. Alfie Franco, 20, was convicted by a jury at Leeds Crown Court after a daylight attack prosecutors described as pointless and motiveless. The court heard Franco had used cannabis, cocaine, diazepam, ketamine and codeine on the day and took offence when Ahmad innocently brushed past his girlfriend in the street. CCTV footage showed Franco calling the teenager over after a brief verbal exchange, then drawing a knife from his waistband and stabbing him in the neck while Ahmad was unarmed.

Prosecutors said the attack was savage and that Franco kept the weapon hidden until the last moment. The footage showed Ahmad clutching his throat and staggering a few yards before collapsing. Franco denied murder but was found guilty by a jury that deliberated for just over three hours; he had also pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in a public place. The judge, Mr Justice Howard Crowson, said Franco’s account of fearing Ahmad was not credible and stated that Ahmad posed no threat as he walked about Huddersfield town centre that day and was unarmed.

In a victim impact statement, Ahmad’s uncle, Ghazwan Al Ibrahim, spoke of Ahmad as an intelligent student with dreams of becoming a doctor. Ahmad had fled war-torn Homs and had been living in Huddersfield for only a few weeks prior to the incident. His family said his death ended their hopes of a better life in the UK and wasted the efforts made to bring him to the country.