Cathays murder: Three men jailed for life after killing teen

Three men who "hunted down" and stabbed a teenager to death have been jailed.

Fahad Mohamed Nur, 18, was found with 21 knife wounds near Cathays railway station in Cardiff last June.

Shafique Shaddad, 25, from Butetown, and brothers Mustafa Aldobhani, 22, and Abdulgalil Aldobhani, 23, from Cathays, were found guilty of murder by a jury.

All three were jailed for life. Shaddad was given a minimum term of 23 years, Mustafa Aldobhaini 22-and-a-half years and Abdulgalil Aldobhani 24 years.

Sentencing, Mr Justice Hilliard said it was "plain that Fahad Nur was involved in supplying drugs on the street".

He said there were "tensions between rival drug-dealers" and this dispute was "most likely behind what's happened".

"It was their intention to trap him in the lane... this was a very tight-knit, joint-enterprise - everyone was playing an important part for the common purpose," he told Cardiff Crown Court.

"I'm sure that he [Fahad] was not the aggressor - I'm sure they decided to attack Fahad Nur. This is not a case of spontaneous violence - it was pre-meditated."

Fahad Mohamed Nur had 21 knife wounds, including a fatal injury through the heart

The judge praised passerby Ethan Moore, who intervened when Mr Nur was being kicked on the ground.

He said Mr Moore should be commended for his courage and public spiritedness, awarding him £400 from public funds.

Prosecutors described the three men trying to "hunt down" Mr Nur after spotting him riding a bike.

Shortly after midnight on 2 June, the three men chased the teenager to a lane behind a Cardiff University building.

• Stabbing death accused 'breaking up street fight'

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(L-R) Abdulgalil Aldobhani, Mustafa Aldobhani and Shafique Shaddad were sentenced to life in prison

He was attacked and left in the street with multiple stab wounds, including a fatal knife wound to the heart.

Mr Nur later died at the University Hospital of Wales.

He had almost £1,000 in cash and a large quantity of Class A drugs on him when he was killed.

One defence barrister described Mr Nur as "a drug dealer on active duty" on the night he was stabbed.

Two weeks after the attack, a meat cleaver and a kitchen knife were found hidden in the hollow of a tree

A victim impact statement from Mr Nur's sister, which was read to the court on Tuesday, said: "He was ambushed and stabbed to death in such a cowardly and vicious attack when he was clearly running away.

"He was a young educated boy who had ambitions and dreams. He was loved by so many people. It was a senseless and horrific act of evil."

Speaking after the sentencing, senior investigating officer Det Ch Insp Mark O'Shea said the case "highlights the devastating and far-reaching consequences of knife crime".

A fourth defendant, Aseel Arar, 35, from Middle Park Road, Birmingham, was found guilty of assisting an offender. She will be sentenced later this month.

The three killers all denied murder but were found guilty at Cardiff Crown Court after more than 27 hours of deliberating by the jury.