Emmanuel Avogo, now 17, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 20 years for the brutal machete murder of accountant Adam Khan, 26, in Luton. The attack occurred on August 31 last year on Humberstone Road, where Avogo, then 16, conspired with a 16-year-old girl to lure Mr Khan to a prearranged meeting.
Attack Details
Harrow Crown Court heard that Mr Khan had been “pestering” the girl for sexual favours in exchange for cannabis. The girl and Avogo plotted to set him up for an attack, though she was unaware he would be armed with a machete. Upon Mr Khan’s arrival, Avogo chased him, drew a machete concealed in his trousers, and fatally attacked him.
Prosecutor Kate Bex KC stated that Mr Khan fell victim to an “ambush” after exchanging phone messages with the girl. CCTV footage showed Mr Khan approaching a vehicle and engaging with the girl before Avogo appeared. Mr Khan initially backed off and drove away, but then stopped, took a tyre wrench from his boot, and confronted Avogo. During the altercation, Mr Khan suffered five stab wounds to the face, stomach, and arm, and died in hospital that evening.
Sentencing and Judge’s Remarks
On Monday, Mr Justice Bennathan sentenced Avogo to life with a minimum of 20 years after his conviction for murder. The judge lifted Avogo’s anonymity as a youth defendant following a Press Association request to identify him as a deterrent against knife crime. The judge noted that Avogo “frequently carried a knife or machete” and remains “still in denial” about the murder, suggesting “any hope of reform and rehabilitation is a very distant prospect.”
The girl, whose identity cannot be disclosed, received a two-year detention and training order after being found guilty of manslaughter. The judge said that while Mr Khan’s behaviour was “very wrong,” he “had done nothing to deserve the terrible violence done to him that day.”
Victim Impact
Mr Khan’s mother described her son as “bright, strong, resilient and caring,” noting he started working at 15 after his father’s death to support his family. She expressed her wish for the killers to “meet a fate far worse than what they inflicted on my son.”
Mr Khan’s sister revealed that her brother was murdered just one day before he was due to sit his final accountancy exam, having already secured a role at a prominent financial firm. She described the teenagers as having “pure evil inside of them” and said, “I pray the harshest of justice is served to the inhumane people who committed this crime. May they rot in hell.”
Avogo’s Criminal History
The court heard that Avogo had a lengthy history of violent and knife-related incidents. In 2023, aged 14, he received a police caution for attempting to push another boy into traffic and punching him. Later that year, he was cautioned again for attacking two schoolmates. In January 2024, he assaulted a police officer, and by August 2024, he was caught carrying a lock knife.
In March 2025, Avogo posed as a buyer on Facebook Marketplace to steal an e-bike. When the seller blocked his escape, Avogo produced a 67cm-long machete from his trousers and inflicted hand and leg injuries on the victim. He pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, and unlawful wounding, receiving a youth rehabilitation order with a curfew.
Avogo had suffered a hammer blow to the head in October 2023, requiring brain surgery, and claimed PTSD affected his response to the confrontation. The judge rejected his denial of intent to cause grievous injury.
After the attack, the girl searched online for “Luton stabbing” and looked into removing an Instagram account. Both defendants gestured to family as they were led from the dock.
