Teen boys' racist murder sentences to be referred to Court of Appeal

Two teenagers detained for life after murdering a stranger in an unprovoked racist attack have had their case referred to the appeals court, to see if their sentences are too lenient.

The pair attacked Kamran Aman as he was delivering groceries to his mother's home in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan.

The 38-year-old was stabbed through the heart and subjected to racist abuse as he lay dying on the floor of a neighbour's house.

Now Marcus Staniforth, 17, and a 16-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, could have their sentences extended.

Staniforth, who ran into a nearby house to get a knife, was sentenced to 17 years at Cardiff Crown Court in February, while the other boy was sentenced to 15 years.

Mr Justice Griffiths called Staniforth a "very dangerous young person indeed" and told the 16-year-old he "instigated a deliberate, unprovoked, sustained, violent racist attack", adding he was "old enough to know that to cause serious injury on a stranger because of his race was wrong".

Aman was killed after arriving in Barry Road at 23:50 BST on 30 June and parking a few doors from his mother's home.

Staniforth and the second defendant had been drinking and taking drugs before arriving at a house on the same road where they carried on drinking.

The younger boy noticed Aman in his car in the street below and decided to attack him, initially taking a hammer from the house but the weapon was taken off him.

The youth started hurling racist abuse at Aman and, after unsuccessfully trying to get in to the passenger side of the car, went around to the driver's side.

Aman came out of the car and began defending himself against a barrage of punches that were thrown first by the 16-year-old and then Staniforth who had joined the attack.

Several neighbours had said they were alarmed by shouting in the street, in an attack described as "relentless", with the boys behaving like a "pack of animals".

Staniforth was seen running back into the house, returning 15 seconds later armed with a large kitchen knife.

Neighbours, who gave evidence during the trial, said Staniforth swung the knife "multiple times".

As Aman bled to death, the boys were still intent on fighting, with the younger defendant bending over Aman shouting racist abuse.

Aman was stabbed once through his heart, a fatal injury despite the best efforts of paramedics who performed emergency open heart surgery.

Staniforth went back into the house and washed the knife and his hands with bleach before both boys fled the scene but they were arrested a short distance away, about 10 minutes after Aman was attacked.