Face of 15-year-old convicted of Alfie Lewis murder

This is the face of a 15-year-old murderer who was convicted of the murder of Alfie Lewis.

Bardia Shojaeifard was today sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 13 years at Leeds Crown Court.

This happened after a jury returned a unanimous verdict of murder following his trial before the same court on May 3.

During the trial, Shojaeifard could not be named or identified, due to the automatic anonymity provided by law in relation to his age, but this was disputed and the Honorable Justice Cotter today lifted the declaration restriction.

Bardia Shojaeifard (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

He said it would contribute to the “vitally important debate about the scourge of knife crime, among young people in particular”.

Shojaeifard, who was 14 at the time of the murder, stabbed and fatally injured Alfie, 15, last year in Horsforth as he walked home from school.

He was described in court as a “normal-looking” 15-year-old boy with a “disturbing interest in knives”.

Speaking directly to the defendant as she read his victim impact statement to the court, Alfie's mother Heather Lane said: “No sentence will ever be enough for what you have done. I will never, ever forgive you.

Mrs Lane sobbed, saying: “Alfie was my heart and when he was stabbed in the heart it killed me too.”

Alfie Lewis (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

She described Alfie as her “big-hearted boy” who was known for “solving everyone’s problems and being the peacekeeper”.

“We laughed and danced and smiled, we loved each other for 15 years and I thought we would for the rest of my life.”

Quiet neighborhood in memory of Alfie Lewis at St Margaret's Church last November (Image: Telegraph and Argus)

The attack happened at the junction of Church Road and Church Lane “in full view” of pupils leaving a primary school in the area, shortly before 3pm on November 7, 2023.

Alfie was stabbed twice – once in the chest and once in the leg – with the chest wound penetrating his heart and causing catastrophic bleeding.

He was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after.

A pathologist at the scene in Horsforth last November (Image: PA)

Alfie was on his way to meet friends from Horsforth School, where he had previously been a pupil.

Eyewitnesses, including children, school staff and passers-by, reported seeing Shojaeifard approach Alfie and attack him without provocation.

All witnesses were “consistent” in saying Alfie was “not the aggressor” that day.

Prosecutor Craig Hassall KC told the hearing that witnesses remembered Alfie looking “surprised and shocked” and stepping back while saying “relax and 'What are you doing?' as Shojaeifard threw the knife at him.

The murderer fled, leaving the knife near the scene, and was arrested at his home about an hour later after being identified by witnesses.

Photos obtained from Bardia Shojaeifard's phone showing him posing with knives (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

Shojaeifard admitted stabbing Alfie with a 13cm-long kitchen knife he had taken from his home, but denied murder, saying he had been in fear for his life when he pulled out the weapon and that he had acted in self-defense.

Detectives from West Yorkshire Police's Homicide and Major Investigation Team have launched a murder investigation.

The kitchen knife, which matched a set of knives at the boy's home, was examined by a forensic expert and blood matching Alfie's DNA was found on it.

Alfie's blood was also found on Shojaeifard's clothing, where he had briefly returned the knife to his belt before throwing it near the scene.

The handle of the knife had been painted black and he would have carried it with him to school all day, preparing to meet Alfie at home.

The court was told of two previous incidents involving the two boys – one in July where Alfie intervened during a fight between Shojaeifard and another boy, and another on October 31 last year involving a bag of fires. artifice that the murderer was carrying.

Shojaeifard said he was threatened by Alfie and feared for his life following the incidents.

Shojaeifard had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a kitchen knife used in the incident.

Judge Cotter said people would wonder how a young boy “from a loving and supportive family” could commit such an “extraordinary” crime “without warning or any warning signs, apart from a few photos of knives on his phone.”

“On the surface, Bardia was a normal 14-year-old boy who had no interest in crime, even though he had a poor disciplinary record at school,” the judge said.

The court heard he had no interest in drugs, gangs or mental health issues.

Lead investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson, said: “Shojaeifard targeted Alfie in a premeditated and planned attack using deadly violence to end his young life, for which there can be no excuse or justification.

“His actions deprived Alfie of his future and left his family and friends absolutely devastated.

“No sentence will ever compensate them for their loss.

“Shojaeifard will have the rest of his life to reflect on the terrible pain and heartbreak his violent actions have caused Alfie’s family.”