Amrit Jhagra: Doncaster teen jailed for life for murdering men in fight

A teenager who knifed two men to death in a fight has been jailed for life.

Amrit Jhagra, 19, murdered Janis Kozlovskis, 17, and Ryan Theobald, 20, in an altercation on Silver Street in Doncaster in January.

The friends had been on a night out when Jhagra, of Doncaster, launched into a "savage" attack, the judge said at Sheffield Crown Court.

Mr Justice Choudhury told Jhagra he had ruined his own life as he sentenced him to a minimum of 24 years in prison.

Mr Kozlovskis and Mr Theobald had been involved in a fight with Jhagra's friend shortly before the stabbing, the trial heard.

CCTV showed the men fighting and chasing each other outside a bar in the early hours of the morning on 29 January.

Amrit Jhagra, 19, was convicted following a 10-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court

Jhagra, of Cedar Road, Doncaster, was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of possessing an offensive weapon following a 10-day trial.

The judge dismissed the reasoning that the teenager was acting in self defence.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Theobald's mother Lisa Theobald told Jhagra she was left with a "broken heart" as her son's life was cut short by him.

"Ryan had a future, one that has been taken away from him. He had planned the next years of his life," she said.

"Instead of looking forward to planning milestone birthdays, weddings, we as a family have had the agony of planning his funeral."

Ryan Theobald, left, and Janis Kozlovskis died from stab wounds

She added: "I have been compelled to watch the heart-wrenching footage of my son's final moments, something no parent should have to do."

"I wish it was something we could forget," a statement from Mr Kozlovskis' sister Russanda Kozlovska said.

"As a family, we will never be able to forgive [Jhagra]."

She added: "Having seen the CCTV of the incident and seeing Jhagra take Janis to the floor and stab him repeatedly was something that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Mr Justice Choudhury said while the fight may have been started by Mr Kozlovskis, Jhagra's decision to carry a knife had ruined three families' lives.

"One more tragic incident inflicted on society by the scourge of knife crime," he said.

A fight took place outside a bar in Silver Street in Doncaster city centre in January

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Ch Insp Lee Townley, who led the investigation, said the case laid bare the "heart-breaking" implications of knife crime.

"Whilst I am pleased that Jhagra will now face a lengthy time behind bars, there is nothing that will bring Ryan and Janis back," he said.

"They were both young men, just starting their journey into adulthood, and all of that has been taken away from them in an instant.

"Within under two minutes of the fight beginning, Janis and Ryan had been fatally stabbed by Jhagra, and left dying in the street."

Jhagra was also handed an 18-month sentence for possessing an offensive weapon, which will run concurrently.