A 17-year-old boy has been jailed for seven years for the manslaughter of his sister's secret boyfriend, whom he stabbed after discovering the pair having sex. Risaan Udayakumar, 18, died from a single stab wound to the chest at the family home in Watford, Hertfordshire, last July.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, arrived unexpectedly at the house and looked through his sister's ground-floor bedroom window, where he saw her and Mr Udayakumar engaged in sexual activity. Believing his sister was being raped, he stormed inside, searched her room, and found the frightened boyfriend hiding in a darkened garage. There he stabbed him three times with a long-bladed knife.
At St Albans Crown Court, the teenager was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter due to loss of self-control. The court heard that the family had strict views about relationships, and the sister had kept her relationship with Mr Udayakumar secret. The judge criticised the parents for their reaction to a previous incident involving the brother and sister, which may have influenced the teenager's actions.
During sentencing, Judge Michael Kay QC said the parents ought to be 'thoroughly ashamed' of how they had criticised the boy for not being 'strong and macho enough' to protect his sister in an earlier incident. The judge noted that this criticism may have played a part in the events leading to the stabbing.
