Emmanuel Avogo, who was 16 at the time, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years for the machete murder of accountant Adam Khan, 26, in Luton. The attack occurred on Humberstone Road on August 31 last year, after Avogo conspired with a 16-year-old girl to lure Khan to the scene.
Attack and Sentencing
Harrow Crown Court heard that Avogo habitually carried a blade and had a history of knife-related offences. On Monday, Mr Justice Bennathan handed down the life sentence following Avogo's conviction for murder. The girl, who cannot be named, received a two-year detention and training order after being found guilty of manslaughter.
Prosecutor Kate Bex KC described how Khan became the victim of an "ambush" after exchanging phone messages with the girl. CCTV footage showed Khan walking up to a car and talking to the girl before Avogo appeared. Khan initially backed away and drove a short distance, but then stopped, took a tyre wrench from his boot, and faced Avogo. He suffered five stab wounds to the face, stomach, and arm, dying in hospital that evening.
Victim Impact
Khan's mother described her son as "bright, strong, resilient and caring," noting he started work at 15 after his father's death to support his family. She said of the killers: "I hope they meet a fate far worse than what they inflicted on my son." Khan's sister disclosed that her brother was killed one day before he was due to sit his final accountancy exam, having already secured a role at a prominent financial firm. She called the teenagers "pure evil" and added: "May they rot in hell."
Judge's Remarks
The judge noted that Khan had been "pestering" the girl for sex and agreed to supply her with cannabis, prompting her and Avogo to set him up for an assault, though she was unaware Avogo would carry a machete. "By August 31 he had offered to get you some cannabis for some form of sexual favour, and most people would agree this was very wrong," the judge said. "It would have served him right if you two had taken the drugs and run off, but he had done nothing to deserve the terrible violence done to him that day."
Knife Crime Epidemic
Prior to sentencing, the judge lifted Avogo's anonymity as a youth defendant following a Press Association application to identify him as a deterrent against knife crime. The judge emphasized Avogo's history of knife offences, stating he remains "still in denial" about the murder, "suggesting any hope of reform and rehabilitation is a very distant prospect."
History of Violence
The court heard that just four months before killing Khan, Avogo escaped a custodial sentence after stabbing a man with a machete during an e-bike robbery. In 2023, aged 14, he received a police caution for attempting to push another boy into the road. Later that year, he was cautioned for assaulting two school pupils. In January 2024, he assaulted a police officer, and in August 2024, he was found carrying a lock knife. The e-bike robbery in March 2025 involved Avogo posing as a buyer on Facebook Marketplace and drawing a 67cm-long machete when the seller blocked his getaway. He pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, and unlawful wounding, receiving a youth rehabilitation order with a night-time curfew.
Defence and Aftermath
Avogo had been struck over the head with a hammer in October 2023, requiring brain surgery, and claimed during trial that PTSD influenced his response to the altercation with Khan. The judge noted Avogo persists in denying responsibility, insisting he had no intention of inflicting serious injury. After the attack, the girl searched online for "Luton stabbing" and looked into how to delete an Instagram account. Both defendants waved to relatives as they were led from the dock.
