Abubakar Abbas death: Leicester man jailed for fatal stabbing

Patrick McDonagh was found guilty of murder by a jury

A 21-year-old has been handed a life sentence for fatally stabbing another man in the neck.

Patrick McDonagh stabbed 22-year-old Abubakar Abbas after a fight broke out in Leicester on 23 August last year.

Mr Abbas, an aspiring engineer who had been on a night out, died of his injuries two days later.

McDonagh denied murder but was found guilty on Tuesday and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 26 years at Leicester Crown Court.

The attack happened at about 02:00 BST in Braunstone Gate.

Police said McDonagh fled the scene with 23-year-old Daniella Hill, who helped him hide the knife.

Later that morning officers visited her home.

Mr Abbas had got his engineering diploma a month before he was killed and was applying to universities

During a search they found blood-stained clothes, including two pairs of trainers inside a washing machine that had not been switched on.

Det Insp Kenny Henry said: "The night this incident occurred, McDonagh went out armed with a knife, which during the course of the evening Hill concealed for him.

"It is evident that McDonagh was prepared to use it should it be necessary.

"Sadly it was used to take a young man's life."

'Shining light'

In a statement released after the sentencing, Mr Abbas' family said their world had come "crashing down".

One of nine siblings, they described him as a "shining light" whose company "brightened every day".

They added: "He didn't ask for what happened to him and he didn't deserve it.

"After he died, offers from universities continued to arrive in the post.

"We opened each envelope with tears in our eyes, knowing he would never attend. Instead of celebrating, we are mourning.

"He was a part of us that we will never get back."

McDonagh and Hill were arrested after the stabbing in Braunstone Gate

McDonagh, of Red House Gardens, was also found guilty of possessing a bladed article.

Hill, of Kinley Road, was cleared of the charge of murder but found guilty of possessing a bladed article, for which she was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].