Alfie Franco, 20, fatally knifed Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim, 16, in the neck following an altercation in Huddersfield town centre. He has been sentenced following the attack
A thug who stabbed a young Syrian refugee to death after he brushed past his girlfriend has been sentenced to life in prison for murder.
Alfie Franco, 20, was armed with a flick knife when he stabbed Ahmad Mamdouh Al Ibrahim, 16, in the neck in Huddersfield town centre on April 3. Franco must serve a minimum term of 23 years.
Ahmad, who came to the UK after being injured in a bombing, was targeted in broad daylight shortly before 3pm. Ahmad and Franco were not known to each other before the attack took place. Outlining what happened circumstances, prosecutor Bashir Ahmed previously said Ahmad was with a friend and walked past Franco, who was with his girlfriend at the time.
He told Leeds Crown Court: “There appears to be some sort of verbal altercation between Ahmad and the defendant that then causes (Ahmad) to come towards the defendant.” It is alleged the defendant then produced a knife from his waistband and inflicted one stab wound on Ahmad.
Franco claimed that he knifed Ahmad in self-defence after believing that he was going to hurt him. He claimed he had been aiming for the boy’s cheek and just wanted to “cut him and get away”.
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC earlier said: “To plunge that knife into someone’s neck who has done no more than walk towards you after you’ve engaged them in some verbal argy-bargy in the street… That’s not reasonable self-defence.”
Ahmad’s family said he had fled war-torn Homs to live with his uncle in Huddersfield. He had only recently moved there after being in the South Wales area. In an emotional tribute, Ahmad’s family previously said: “Our beloved Ahmad was taken from us on April 3 2025, he was only 16. Ahmad fled war-torn Homs, Syria, after being injured in a bombing. He chose to come to the UK because he believed in the values of human rights, safety, and dignity.
“He was full of hope and dreamed of becoming a doctor – wanting to heal others after all he had endured. He had just begun settling into his new life with his uncle, adjusting to a new language, a new home, and a future he was excited to build.
“Ahmad was kind, gentle, and carried so much promise. Losing him has left an unimaginable emptiness in our hearts. We never thought that the place he saw as a safe haven would be where his life would end. Our only wish now is to lay him to rest in his homeland, Syria. Thank you for helping us honour his memory.”
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