Three men jailed for teenager's fatal stab murder

Emile Riggon (left), Jozeffi Jeffers (centre) and Phillip Bryant (right) had taken "revenge" on Mr Nyabako, Leeds Crown Court heard

Three men have been jailed for life for the "retribution and revenge" killing of a teenager in Leeds.

Emmanuel Nyabako, 19, had been stripped of his clothes by his attackers and dragged naked into the road after being fatally stabbed in Francis Street, Chapeltown, on 26 August 2023, a jury was told.

Emile Riggon, 23, Jozeffi Jeffers, 28, and Phillip Bryant, 33, were all found guilty of murder following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

At the same court on Monday, the Recorder of Leeds, His Honour Judge Guy Kearl, jailed all three men for a minimum of 27 years.

Emmanuel Nyabako was fatally stabbed in Chapeltown, Leeds

Mr Nyabako had been subjected to a "group attack with weapons" after he and an accomplice had fired gunshots towards the defendants, prosecutor Mark McKone KC told the court.

The teenager suffered "many stab wounds" during the attack, including a fatal wound to the heart.

Mr Nyabako, who had turned 19 earlier in the week, was struck by Riggon up to six times in the face with a machete.

He had also suffered further stab wounds to his back, leg and buttock, as well as defensive injuries, Mr McKone said.

He argued the attack was "sadistic" in nature, adding: "The defendants stabbed Emmanuel then returned to the scene and dragged him naked and left him on the side of the road."

'Joint attack'

Judge Kearl told the court the incident in the early hours of the morning had started after Mr Nyabako and a then 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, fired a gunshot at Bryant's car.

He said the pair, who were travelling through Chapeltown on an electric bike, were then chased by a gang including the three defendants.

Further shots were fired towards the defendants during the chase.

The court heard that both Mr Nyabako and his accomplice had been carrying a firearm, with the victim also in possession of a machete.

Judge Kearl said the defendants had wanted to teach Mr Nyabako and the 16-year-old boy "a lesson".

The 16-year-old escaped after jumping into the cellar of a house, but Mr Nyabako found himself cornered on Francis Street.

Judge Kearl told the defendants: "It is not clear to me who inflicted the fatal stab wound, however it is clear this was a joint attack by each of you, for which you are jointly responsible."

The three men stripped Mr Nyabako "to humiliate him, having extracted your revenge", the judge said.

"None of you called for emergency services, which you could have done had you not wanted him to die."

Louis Grant, 28, is still being sought by police in connection with Mr Nyabako's death

Det Ch Insp Damian Roebuck, from West Yorkshire Police, who investigated the case, said: “Regardless of the circumstances that led up to the attack, there can be no excuse or justification for the appalling violence they used against him, which ended his young life."

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Nyabako's mother, Jacqueline, said the family's lives had been "forever changed" by his murder.

"Our lives were shattered by a senseless act that took Emmanuel from us far too soon," she said

The void left by her youngest son's death was "immeasurable", she added.

"The future we had envisaged together has been cruelly snatched away."

In her statement, Mr Nyabako's mother said the family had been left "deeply heartbroken by the way someone could so cruelly disregard the value of a human life".

'Retribution and revenge'

The court was told that all three defendants had numerous previous convictions and had made attempts to destroy evidence following the fatal attack on Mr Nyabako.

At the time of the offence, father-of-two Jeffers, of Hyde Park Road, Leeds, was out of prison on licence after being released from an 11-year sentence for using a knuckle duster with a blade during a group attack outside a nightclub.

Riggon, of no fixed abode, who fled to Turkey following the killing, was "experienced in committing offences of a serious nature", said Judge Kearl.

His previous offending had included possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, the court was told.

Meanwhile, Bryant, of Skinner Lane, Leeds, had 29 convictions for offences including Actual Bodily Harm, robbery and possessing a knife.

Sentencing them, Judge Kearl said: "I don't find the motive involved sadistic conduct. This was retribution and revenge."

All three men were told they would spend the rest of their lives on licence if they were released.

Detectives said they still wanted to locate 28-year-old Louis Grant, also known as Louis O’Brien, in connection with Mr Nyabako's death.

Anyone with any information that could assist in tracing him was asked to get in touch with West Yorkshire Police.

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