Man stabbed Syrian refugee, 16, to death after he ‘brushed past girlfriend’ | UK | News

An “arrogant” man who stabbed a young Syrian refugee in the neck as he passed his girlfriend on a crowded shopping street has been found guilty of murder. Ahmad Al Ibrahim, 16, who fled war-torn Homs after being injured in a bombing, had been living in Huddersfield for only a few weeks when he was stabbed to death by 20-year-old Alfie Franco in the West Yorkshire city centre.

Leeds Crown Court heard that on April 3, Ahmed was wandering around the city with a friend and was going to buy eyelash glue with his girlfriend after an appointment at Franco’s Business Center. Jurors were told that when the two couples crossed paths, Franco took “some minor exceptions” to Ahmed “harmlessly” walking past his girlfriend.

CCTV footage shows Franco saying something to Ahmed and calling him out after a brief verbal argument.

As Ahmed approached, Franco opened the blade of the knife he was carrying in his trousers and stabbed the child in the neck.

Prosecutors said Franco “slyly” hid the knife until the last second so that the unarmed Ahmed “didn’t have a chance.”

Footage played during the hearing showed Ahmed grabbing his throat and staggering for several meters down the street before collapsing.

Jurors heard the knife penetrated about 6cm deep into Ahmed’s neck, causing “sudden and massive blood loss” and causing him to suffocate to death.

Franco fled the scene but later turned himself in at a police station, telling officers in an interview that he acted in self-defense and had lived for years in South Africa as the only white child on the Cape Flats; where “if a child comes at you with aggression, they are either coming to harm you or kill you”.

Franco, who returned to Huddersfield from South Africa at the age of 13, told the hearing that he thought he saw Ahmed reaching for the gun on his waist.

He said he aimed for the boy’s cheek and just wanted to “cut him and run away”.

Franco told jurors he had a knife with him that day because he “got into arguments and heard things going on” in Huddersfield town center and wanted it to “keep him safe”.

But in his closing speech to jurors, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said: “Putting a knife into the neck of someone who did nothing but walk towards you after you engaged in verbal barrage in the street… This is not reasonable self-defence.”

Mr Wright said Franco was “cool as a cucumber” when he delivered the fatal blow, even continuing to eat his ice cream during the verbal argument.

The prosecutor said: “This is the case of a young man with a cocky swagger who wandered around the city with his girlfriend, addicted to drugs, and didn’t like how Ahmed answered him.”

Jurors heard Franco had become “more interested in knives” and had texted a friend the day before, threatening to stab someone over a stolen bike.

He had consumed cannabis before the murder, and tests also revealed recent use of cocaine, diazepam, ketamine and codeine.

The court heard Ahmad arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied child refugee and was housed elsewhere in the country before moving to Huddersfield to be with his uncle.

His family said after his death that he dreamed of becoming a doctor, “wanting to heal others after everything he had endured.”

They said: “He chose to come to the UK because he believed in the values ​​of human rights, security and dignity… he was just beginning to settle into his new life with his uncle, a new language, a new home and a future he was excited to build.

“Ahmed was kind, gentle and had so much to say. Losing him has left an unimaginable hole in our hearts.

“We never imagined that this place, which he considered a safe haven, would be where his life would end.”

On Thursday, Franco was found guilty of murder by a jury after more than three hours of deliberations.

He had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a knife in a public place.

Franco will be sentenced Friday afternoon.

Following the verdict, Ahmed’s uncle, Ghazwan Al Ibrahim, said: “Ahmad was only 16 years old when he was brutally taken away due to Franco’s senseless and unprovoked action.

“He had traveled from Syria to the UK, which meant he had the opportunity to create a better life for himself, leaving his parents and siblings behind in a war-torn country.

“Ahmad had been in the UK since October 2024 and had only lived in Huddersfield for a few weeks before being stabbed in the middle of the day for no apparent reason.

“I can’t imagine how Ahmad felt in his final moments. He was alone in a foreign country where he should have been safe.

“The thought of having to identify my nephew and then break the news to my brother and sister-in-law and tell them what happened to their precious son will never leave me.

“His parents are heartbroken beyond description. As Ahmed’s uncle, I will always carry the guilt of having Ahmed come to the UK and not being able to keep him safe.

“Ahmet, we love you, we miss you and we will continue this forever.”