Teen killers unmasked after brutally murdering boy, 17, in 'revenge attack'

03 October 2023 , 15:11

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Tafari Smith (pictured), then 16, stabbed Kyle Huckland in Manchester last November (Image: GMP)

Three murderers who brutally attacked a 17-year-old boy in the street can be named for the first time.

Tafari Smith, then 16, stabbed Kyle Huckland as he walked alongside his friend in Withington, Manchester on the morning of November 22 last year. Other teenagers then joined in the attack, which was said to be fuelled by revenge due to an incident the day before.

One of them blamed a friend of Kyle's after he was "set up" during a drug deal gone wrong, Manchester Crown Court heard. But Kyle "had done nothing at all", and was left to die after collapsing on the driveway of a home.

Smith, now 17, was previously found guilty of murder, and was sentenced this morning to a minimum of 19 years in prison. Yousef Sesay and Lewis Ludford, both 18, were also convicted of murder, and will serve minimum terms of 22 and 21 years respectively.

Kyle Huckland, 17, was a "kind and well-mannered" teenager, the court heard (GMP)

Smith has been named for the first time after the Manchester Evening News successfully applied to a judge for an anonymity order to be lifted. Alfie Benson, 17, can also be named for the first time. He was not involved in the attack, but was the driver of a stolen VW Golf which ferried the killers to and from the scene.

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Benson was found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to 12 years. During the trial, jurors were shown harrowing CCTV footage of the murder which unfolded as Kyle walked down a street. The "kind and well-mannered" teenager was set upon because of his association with a friend, James Todd, who Sesay blamed after he was "set up" the day before.

Yousef Sesay, 18, will serve a minimum term of 22 years (GMP)

Lewis Ludford, 18, will serve a minimum term of 21 years (GMP)

Sesay was robbed after handing over around £1,000 to buy cannabis, the court heard. The following day, Sesay was in the VW Golf with Smith, Ludford and Benson, the latter driving them in the stolen vehicle. Ludford said they were out drug dealing, when by chance they noticed Kyle and Todd walking down the street.

Todd was armed with a knife and ran towards the car. Benson stopped the vehicle, and Todd ran off down an alleyway. Sesay, Smith and Ludford got out of the Golf and turned their attention to Kyle, who was stabbed four times, as Sesay shouted "chef him, chef him", the court heard.

Alfie Benson, 17, was found guilty of manslaughter (GMP)

He was also punched and kicked during the attack. As Kyle collapsed, one of the killers told him "don’t ever try to rob us again" before leaving him to die. Sesay, Smith and Ludford were all unanimously found guilty of murder following a trial which ended in June. Benson was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.

Giving evidence, Smith admitted stabbing Kyle in "panic" after wrongly believing that he was armed. Ludford, who admitted manslaughter, said he'd been "good friends" with Kyle as a child. He claimed he only "wanted to have a fight" with Kyle because he was "angry".

Benson told jurors that he remained in the car while the attack unfolded, and had no involvement. Sesay did not give evidence at trial. James Todd was previously sentenced to 13 months for possessing a bladed article during the incident. Sentencing, Judge Alan Conrad KC said Kyle's life was "so cruelly and unnecessarily cut short". He said of Kyle: "He had done nothing at all to deserve what happened to him."

Andrew Bardsley