Two teenagers have been sentenced to life in prison after admitting the murder of a teenage male in a brutal attack in Huddersfield.
The Huddersfield males aged 15 and 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Monday, December 18 for the murder of 17-year-old Harley Brown in February this year.
The attack, which came after a chance encounter between the three, has been branded as a tragic example of the dreadful consequences of knife crime by senior detectives.
At the sentencing, the 15-year-old was sentenced to life in custody with a minimum term of 10 years and three months
The 17-year-old was also sentenced to life with a minimum term of 14 years and six months.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Harley had met the defendants by chance in the doorway of a 24-hour shop on Colne Street at about 3:40am On Monday, February 20th.
The males, who were known to Harley, and were aged 14 and 16 at the time of offending, chased him to Maple Street where he was attacked with bladed weapons.
Harley was able to stagger to Kings Mill Lane after the attack where he was found by emergency services having suffered multiple stab injuries.
He was taken to hospital for emergency medical treatment but tragically passed away from his injuries later on Monday morning.
The 15-year-old was arrested shortly after the murder on February 20th while the 17-year-old was arrested on February 22nd.
Reducing knife crime especially knife crime incidents among young people has been a key priority of both Kirklees Police and the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction partnership with multiple initiatives underway.
They have included school education initiatives, continued patrols and knife crime intervention work by the forces dedicated to Operation Jemlock teams, police education specialists and the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit.
Detective Superintendent Alan Weekes, who led police enquiries into the murder of Harley, said: “The murder of Harley sadly stands as a terrible example of the dreadful consequences of knife crime.
“His attackers pursued him from the shop and ran him down to Maple Street where he was subjected to a savage attack, sustaining what proved to be fatal injuries.
“These males were prepared to use appalling violence, almost on a whim, and anyone prepared to act in such a way clearly has no place on the streets.
Harley’s mother issued a statement issued after sentencing: “On the 20th February 2023, the day came which no mother should ever have to go through. I brought Harley to Huddersfield to be safe. He won’t celebrate any more Christmas or birthdays. He won’t ever get married, have kids, get a job, drive a car, or have the chance to do the right thing and support his family someday. You two get to continue with your lives, Harley doesn’t, I don’t, his sisters don’t, his brother doesn’t. You have destroyed a whole family.
Harley’s sisters, also said: “We haven’t been able to understand why anyone would do this. To go to court and see those two who deliberately murdered our little brother, has affected us in ways which we struggle to deal with. We will struggle for the rest of our lives.
“You two have not just taken our little brother’s life, you have taken so much else from us, you have ripped a whole loving close family apart and our lives won’t be the same again. We struggle to process what has happened and grieve ourselves,
“We have to realise that our little brother Harley has been killed and is never coming back.”
Chief Superintendent Jim Griffiths District Commander of Kirklees Police, said: “Knife crime thankfully continues to fall in Kirklees with a 21 per cent reduction in knife offences involving people under 25 in the last 12 months. We realise however, that is no consolation to victims or the relatives of victims in appalling offences such as these.
“It is chilling that some young people feel it is acceptable to act in this way, carry weapons and inflict such savage violence on each other.
“We must remember that those who do so are very much in the minority, but very much appreciate the fear and concern these incidents cause.
“We and colleagues in the Violence Reduction Partnership are in the midst of a massive programme to reduce knife crime in West Yorkshire through both education and enforcement action against those determined to carry and use knives.
“Those education initiatives have now reached tens of thousands of children across the force area and we continue to ask for help from communities to tell us about those carrying these weapons.”
I
