A teenager has been jailed for 16 years for murdering his schoolmate outside Luton school in a revenge killing, the BBC reported.
Ibrahim Khan,16, of Atherstone Road, attacked Humza Hussain, 16, near Challney High School for Boys in Luton on 8 June. Hussain was stabbed three times in the chest and died later that evening.
"The dispute between them [the victim and defendant] had been festering for some time. There was mutual animosity that developed. It is not easily identified and may relate to insults on social media. It may have begun as a petty adolescent grudge that developed," prosecutor Richard Wright QC was quoted as saying by the BBC during the trial at Luton Crown Court.
The defendant had armed himself with a "large and savage knife" after he had suffered a bloodied nose in a fight at the school in October 2020.
Hussain had filmed that fight on his phone, the trial heard.
As a result, Hussain and a friend had been permanently excluded from Challney and the defendant was moved to another school.
"From this point on the defendant was determined to exact some sort of revenge on Humza Hussain and his friend," said Wright.
According to the report, Hussain turned up at the school with a metal file from his father's shed on the day of his murder.
Khan had turned up at the school where he was seen intimidating the 14-year-old brother of one of Hussain's friends.
The boy made a call to his older brother, who then turned up outside the school with the victim, the BBC report said.
The older brother had thrown the head of a hammer at Khan, who then drew a knife.
Prosecutor told the court that Khan was grabbed from behind by Hussain, but the defendant broke free and carried out the fatal stabbing.
The judge lifted legal restrictions that prevent the identification of children.
"It will be for the parole board to decide if you are to be released. If released you will be on licence for the rest of your life," Justice Goss was quoted as saying by the BBC.
In a victim's statement, the murdered boy's father said his son's death was "like a nightmare that does not end".
According to Bedfordshire Police's assistant chief constable, Sharn Basra, what started as a grudge between teenagers has escalated into a futile waste of life.
Michael Gove
Jeremy Hunt