A teenager who carried out a fatal knife attack in Leeds has been jailed for life after being convicted of murder.

At 12:17am on November 12, 2024, police were called by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service who reported that they were treating an unconscious man who had been stabbed.

It was revealed the man Saymore T Kwashira, had been stabbed with a machete in a flat on Winrose Avenue, Leeds.

Saymore was transported to hospital but died shortly after.

The Homicide and Major Enquiry Team investigation centred on who had been in the flat with Saymore and their movements following the attack.

It was established that Romaine James, 18, was part of a group of three men who went to the flat where Saymore and a friend had been staying with the woman who lived there.

A court heard the group were inhaling nitrous oxide when an argument started between Saymore and James.

During the fight, James stabbed Saymore to the neck and stomach.

James and the other two men he was with left the address and got into a taxi which took them to the Beeston area of Leeds.

James was seen on CCTV holding what appeared to be a machete.

Following the trial at Leeds Crown Court the 18-year-old was convicted of murder.

On Monday (Nov 17), James was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years.

He was also sentenced for a number of other matters, with these sentences due to run concurrently with the murder sentence.

He was sentenced to two years imprisonment for possession of ammunition, 12 months for possession of a machete, two months for handling stolen goods and one month for criminal damage.

Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Saymore was a young man who has lost his life in a senseless brutal attack. What seems to have started out as a meet up of friends and associates has ultimately taken a deadly turn when an argument has turned violent.

“This incident shows the absolutely devastating impact that carrying weapons such as machetes can have. More than one family has been ripped apart by James’ choice to use the extreme levels of violence that he did that night.”