Faces of teen killers who knifed boy, 15, outside school
THE mother of a 15-year-old boy murdered by two teenagers in a ‘gang-related’ knife attack outside his school pleaded yesterday: ‘This violence has to stop, carrying weapons has to stop.’
The names of murderers Jakele Pusey, 15, and his cousin Jovani Harriott, 17, had been kept secret by a court order, but a judge identified them yesterday, saying ‘school killings by teenagers’ were of ‘particular concern’ to the public.
Passing life sentences, Mrs Justice Farbey told the defendants: ‘Khayri Mclean was a 15-year- old child minding his own business on his way home. He was outnumbered by you two. He was unarmed.’
Harriott, who was found guilty of murder after a trial, was given a minimum term of 18 years, while Pusey, who admitted murder, must serve at least 16 years.
In a statement read to Leeds Crown Court, the victim’s mother, Charlie Mclean, told how she rushed to the scene minutes after Khayri was ambushed near his school and had to ‘watch helplessly as paramedics attempted to save his life’.
‘No parent should have to contemplate this, let alone witness it,’ she said. ‘The fear he would have had when he realised he had been stabbed and was bleeding to death will stay with me forever.’
She said he hoped to be an engineer and had a ‘bright future’, but his life was taken from him by the ‘cowards’ who attacked him in front of pupils as he was going home in Huddersfield last September.
She added: ‘I would gladly give my life for him, to have him back, but that’s impossible. I ask myself what has this achieved? What has my son died for? Nobody has won in this situation. I’ve lost a child and other parents have lost two sons who have committed this offence.
Stabbed: Khayri Mclean, 15
The killers, who were 15 and 16 at the time of the stabbing on September 21 last year, planned the attack. They took knives, dressed in black and wore balaclavas.
Pusey was seen jumping in the air before ‘swinging his arm’ and plunging a 12in blade into Khayri’s heart. He admitted being in a violent drug-dealing gang and was said to be under the influence of drugs.
Harriott then stabbed Khayri in the leg and tried to stab his chest. The murder was caught on CCTV, which was played to the court.
Khayri tried to stagger away but collapsed. A passing doctor treated him until an air ambulance arrived, but he died a short time later.
Jonathan Sandiford, KC, prosecuting, said he was killed for sharing a video on social media about a window at Harriott’s home being broken. He was seen as an ‘enemy’ from an ‘opposition’ gang, although he was no longer a member.
Pusey, who at 12 was the innocent victim of a shooting, began dealing in drugs for his gang at 13. ‘Violence against opposing gang members and carrying a knife was the norm for Pusey,’ said Mr Sandiford.
Richard Wright, KC, for Pusey, said it was tragic that this ‘child’ would ‘take knives out and engage in extreme violence’.
Harriott denied being a gang member, which was disputed. His barrister, Mohammed Nawaz, KC, said he had ‘shown real remorse’.
‘What has my son died for?’