A teenager who regularly carried a knife has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an accountant in Luton. Emmanuel Avogo, now 17, received a minimum term of 20 years at Harrow Crown Court after being found guilty of murder following a trial. The court heard how Avogo, then 16, plotted with a 16-year-old girl to entice 26-year-old Adam Khan to a meeting on Humberstone Road, Luton, on 31 August 2025.
During the ambush, Avogo chased Mr Khan before producing a machete from his trousers, which he used to stab the victim multiple times. Mr Khan sustained five stab wounds to his face, stomach, and arm, and tragically died later that evening in hospital. The judge, Justice Bennathan, lifted reporting restrictions, allowing Avogo to be named despite his youth at the time of the offence and trial.
The girl involved in the plot, who cannot be named due to her age, was sentenced to a two-year detention and training order after being convicted of manslaughter. The court was told that Mr Khan had been 'pestering' the girl for sex and had agreed to provide her with cannabis. While she planned with Avogo to set Mr Khan up for an attack, she maintained she was unaware Avogo would be armed with a machete.
Justice Bennathan commented on the tragic outcome, stating that while Mr Khan's actions might have warranted the drugs being taken and the pair running off, he had done "nothing to deserve the terrible violence done to him that day." The trial also revealed Avogo's concerning history of carrying knives; just four months before Mr Khan's murder, he had been spared jail after stabbing another man with a machete during an e-bike robbery.
Mr Khan's family shared their profound grief and loss. His mother described him as "bright, strong, resilient and caring." His sister added that the murder occurred just one day before Mr Khan was scheduled to sit his final accountancy qualification exam, highlighting the devastating impact of his untimely death on his promising future.