Two teens, 16 and 19, are jailed for a total of 20 years for stabbing boy, 17, to death in Nottingham
TWO teenagers have been jailed for a total of 20 years after brutally stabbing a 17-year-old boy to death in Nottingham.
Ezekiel Clarke was knifed several times in the arm, chest, heart, liver and lung before being left on the street to die in Churchfield Lane, Radford, on February 19.
Jaheim Williams, 19, was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in detention at a young offenders' institution, reports .
And a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named of legal reasons was found guilty of murder, and was give a life sentence with a minimum term of 13 years to serve.
In total the duo will serve at least 20 years in detention after being sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday.
Ezekiel's mum Julie Jones, 54, spoke of her heartbreak as the "hopes and dreams" she had for her son were taken from her "in the blink of an eye".
He was described by his family as "extremely polite, caring and loving" who would "help anyone" - with his death leaving their home "broken".
Ezekiel could not wait to start a family of his own and was excited to learn how to drive.
The teen also enjoyed music, painting and gardening, while also dreaming of starting his own property development business.
Julie described her son as her "heart, pride and joy" and branded his killers "cowards" - adding "the pain is constant, I miss him every day".
The younger teen was also found guilty of robbery and possession of a bladed article over an incident two days before he killed Ezekiel.
He wielded a knife and stole a coat, rucksack and chain from a 17-year-old boy on February 17.
Another 16-year-old was was given an 18-month detention and training order for his role in the knifepoint robbery.
Julie told NottinghamshireLive: "He had so much ahead of him and was truly looking forward to every moment of it, a career, seeing the world through the eyes of an adult, a family of his own, all of which he can no longer do."
The mum added: "Any sentence handed out would have seemed unjust to us, there is no true justice for taking a life, however the sentences given seem extremely lenient and we as a family feel it does not reflect the severity of the crime.
"I just hope the sentences imposed will serve as a deterrent to others, it may just stop some other cowards from taking a knife out tonight and destroying somebody's else's life, as well as their own, because these senseless killings really do have to stop."
After the sentencing, Ezekiel's sister Shimea Anderson, 33, urged the community to help tackle knife crime in Nottingham - warning over children becoming involved in "knife crime culture".
She said: "As a city, as a community, do we really want to become like other cities in the country where lives being lost to knife crime becomes a daily or weekly occurrence?"
Shimea added: "It is not for the victim's family alone to stand up and fight to make change.
"There are many organisations that are working with young people to prevent knife crime - but they can not do it alone.
"This is Nottingham and this is the city we live in and our community. These are our children becoming victims or perpetrators and engaging in knife crime culture.
"We need to be doing more together as one and working with organisations who are out here fighting for our children - your children.
"Don't wait until it reaches your door because the reality is every single one of us can be affected by this."
On the day Ezekiel died, police and ambulance crews were called to a report of a stabbing in Radford at around 7.10pm.
The two teens ran away from the scene and left Ezekiel to die.
A post-mortem revealed he died after being stabbed in the heart, liver and lung - with further stab wounds to his arm and chest.
Nottinghamshire Police has pledged to crackdown on knife crime following his death and the force warned it will "not tolerate" people carrying knives.
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Superintendent Mat Healey said: "This particular incident has resulted in the tragic loss of such a young life and we would like to pass on our sympathy to Ezekiel's friends and family.
"Sadly this death highlights the importance of the societal need to ensure that carrying knives never becomes acceptable."
He added: "We urge parents and carers to talk to their children about the dangers of carrying knives and the terrible impact that knife crime can have on them, their friends, their family and their community.
"Anyone who knows of someone who carries a knife has a chance to prevent tragedies like this by reporting their concerns."
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