Jakele Pusey, 15, and Jovani Harriott, 17, who stabbed Khayri McLean, 15, to death outside school are jailed
TWO teens who stabbed a 15-year-old boy to death at the school gates have today been jailed for life.
Khayri McLean was ambushed by two balaclava-clad boys, who had lay in wait outside North Huddersfield Trust School (NHTS).
The knife pierced his heart and one of his lungs after it was plunged into his chest during the horror in September last year.
Two boys aged 15 and 17 have now been jailed at Leeds Crown Court for murder.
They were today named as 15-year-old Jakele Pusey and 17-year-old Jovani Harriott after a judge lifted reported restrictions.
Pusey, who had pleaded guilty to the charge after dealing the fatal blow, was handed a minimum of 15 years and 131 days due to time spent on remand.
Prosecutors had argued Harriott was just as culpable as the teens acted together and were “encouraging and supporting each other to carry out that attack”.
He was jailed for a minimum of 17 years and 131 days as his family shouted “you’ve got this” from the public gallery.
Kharyi’s mum earlier paid tribute to her “loving and caring” son who loved playing rugby.
She said her life “changed forever” when “two cowards waited to attack Khayri.”
The mum added: “He had no chance. He had no opportunity to defend himself and the fear he went through when he was attacked and bled to death will never leave me.”
She had rushed to the scene after hearing her son had been attacked but tragically never got to say goodbye.
The mum also thanked the children and teachers who stayed with Khayri and the paramedics who battled to save his life.
She said: “I am living a nightmare. When I wake up when I manage to sleep it hits me like a ton of bricks.
“If I could trade places with Khayri I would…We are left trying to pick up the pieces.
“I feel so sorry for the schoolchildren who had to witness the horrific incident – something they should never had had to see. I ask myself what has this achieved? What has my son died for?
“I have lost my child and other parents have lost their two children who did this.
“This violence has to stop and carrying weapons has to stop.”
Jurors heard how Khayri was leaving school when masked knifemen Pusey shouted out his name near an alleyway.
He then jumped in the air “like some ninja” as he swung the 30cm weapon around before stabbing the schoolboy.
As Khayri fell “defenceless on his back” to the ground, the 17-year-old then knifed him in the lower leg.
The attackers made their way across a field and managed to change their clothes during an 11-minute CCTV blackspot.
Meanwhile, a passing doctor frantically battled to save Khayri in front of some of his teachers.
One told the court how his eyes were rolling back and “going glazed”.
The teen was rushed to hospital where sadly he couldn’t be saved and was declared dead shortly after undergoing surgery.
Police arrested Harriott the following day, while the younger boy handed himself in.
While in custody, Pusey, who was shot aged 12 in a gangland attack, said he had “no remorse” for the killing as he was heard describing Khayri’s final moments.
He said: “What I was wearing, it had pink shades innit, you couldn’t see my eyes so came out of the snicket and said ‘Yo Khayri’ and did my thing innit, I knew he was dead as soon as I did it.”
During his evidence, Harriott claimed he initially went to the scene for a “fist fight” with another youth.
But he said he panicked when he heard screaming and saw his co-accused next to Khayri.
He told the jury he was running with a knife in his hand when he swung at Khayri’s leg because he thought he was trying to “kick me to the floor”.
Harriott claimed he did not realise he had stabbed Khayri in the leg until later.
