Khayri Mclean: Huddersfield stabbing victim named as boy arrestedon September 22, 2022 at 5:47 pm

A 15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death outside his Huddersfield school has been formally named by police.

Khayri Mclean was attacked in a “targeted incident” on Wednesday afternoon, close to North Huddersfield Trust School, West Yorkshire Police said.

A 16-year-old, arrested in the town on suspicion of murder on Thursday morning, remains in custody.

A family friend told the BBC how she held the boy’s hand as he lay dying.

Sherrin James, 35, said her daughter was in a relationship with Khayri, but she had known his mother for a number of years.

Ms James had driven from her home to the scene after her daughter told her of the attack.

She added: “I got on the floor with him and was holding his hand. I was just trying to make him pull through.”

Officers were called to the scene, on Woodhouse Hill, in the Fartown area, at about 14:55 BST.

The teenager was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he died a short time later.

Ms James described Khayri as “a lovely boy” who made her daughter happy.

She added: “She thought he was the perfect boy. He was her first proper boyfriend.”

Ch Supt James Griffiths, district commander of Kirklees Police, said his officers understood the “concern” of communities.

“I want to reassure residents everything possible is being done to investigate what took place,” he said in a statement on Thursday evening.

In a statement to parents, Andrew Fell, head teacher at North Huddersfield Trust School, said: “Our deepest sympathies go out to the pupil’s family and friends who must feel, as we do, completely devastated.

“They have lost a loved one and we have lost a wonderful student from our school community.”

Afiya Mahmood, who lives nearby, witnessed the aftermath of the stabbing, which she described as “really distressing”.

She said: “Everybody’s really shocked. He’s just a child, isn’t he?

“I’m so shocked that the perpetrators did this in daylight at three o’clock with loads of people about. They had no care for people or children around. It’s disgusting.”

Ms Mahmood said her children, who attend another school, had to walk past the scene.

“They’re under eight and we had to actually lie to them and say it was a car accident,” she added.

Kirklees councillor Amanda Pinnock, who represents the Ashbrow ward, met with representatives from the school, police and council colleagues on Thursday.

She said: “As a councillor, community member and a mother, I am heartbroken by what has taken place. It is so sad to hear that a schoolboy has lost his life in such tragic circumstances.”

Ms Pinnock said the community needed “to put our heads together” to find a solution to knife crime.

She said: “It’s time for action. The community is saying more needs to be done. There seems to be a culture of people carrying knives, and it’s not just young people.”

Speaking on Wednesday night, Det Supt Marc Bowes said: “We will be carrying out extensive inquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident that has resulted in the absolutely senseless loss of a young life.

“We have already identified a number of witnesses to the incident itself but would still like to hear from anyone who has any information that could assist the investigation.”

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.