A TEENAGER jailed for 16 years for murdering Kian Tordoff in a “ferocious” knife attack is to have his sentence reviewed by the Court of Appeal.
Sheryar Khan, 17, was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years in prison for the murder of 19-year-old Mr Tordoff in July after being found guilty following a lengthy trial at Bradford Crown Court.
He was also convicted of the wounding with intent of Matthew Page, who suffered life-threatening injuries.
Mr Tordoff died after he was stabbed multiple times while in John Street, Bradford, in October last year.
Following a challenge made under a scheme for sentences thought to be too lenient, that jail term could now increase.
The Attorney General Suella Braverman has considered the case and believes Khan’s 16-year term does appear “unduly lenient” so it will now move to a hearing at the Court of Appeal, which is expected to take place next month.
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A spokesperson from the Attorney General’s Office said: “The Attorney General was shocked by this case and wishes to express her sympathies to the family of the victim.
“I can confirm that the Attorney General has referred Sheryar Khan's sentence to the Court of Appeal as she agrees that it appears unduly lenient. It is now for the Court to decide whether to increase the sentence.”
In addition, Khan’s accomplices – his older brother Arbaz Khan, 22, and Mohammed Adil Hussain, 18, were both convicted of the manslaughter of Mr Tordoff and the wounding with intent of Mr Page.
Their total sentences were 14 years and 9 years respectively.
A referral under the same scheme for their manslaughter sentences was rejected so theirs will not increase.
The spokesman added: “After careful consideration the Attorney General has concluded that the cases of Arbaz Khan and Mohammed Hussain cannot properly be referred to the Court of Appeal.
“A referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme to the Court of Appeal can only be made if a sentence is not just lenient but unduly so, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence.
“The threshold is a high one, and the test was not met in this case.”
The Court of Appeal has the power to decide that the original sentence should stay the same; is unreasonably low and may increase it; or refuse to hear the case.
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