Teenager found guilty of murdering Khayri McLean, 15, outside Huddersfield school

22 March 2023, 17:43

A teenage boy has been found guilty of murdering 15-year-old Khayri McLean in Huddersfield last year.

Khayri was stabbed while making his way home from North Huddersfield Trust School (NHTS), in the West Yorkshire town, on September 21 last year.

A 17-year-old boy, who was 16 at the time of the killing, was found guilty of murdering Khayri on Wednesday. It comes after a 15-year-old youth admitted murder at a previous hearing.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC told jurors that Khayri was met by the two murderers who were waiting for him as he left the school 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".

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A teacher desperately tried to save a Khayri's life after he was knifed to death. The staff member frantically performed CPR on the boy after he had been attacked near to his school gates shortly before 3pm that day.

A witness told police "he thought this incident had happened because Khayri was in a gang and had left the gang", the court heard previously.

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."

Giving evidence, the 17-year-old denied targeting Khayri, telling a court he went to the scene for a "fist fight" with another youth.

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He showed no emotion as the jury verdict was read out after just under five hours of deliberations.

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.