Emmanuel Avogo, a 17-year-old who routinely carried a blade, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years for the machete murder of accountant Adam Khan, 26. The attack occurred in Humberstone Road, Luton, on August 31 last year, after Avogo and a 16-year-old girl devised a plan to lure Khan to the scene.
Details of the Attack
Khan had been pestering the girl for sex and agreed to provide her with cannabis. The girl, who cannot be named, planned with Avogo to set up Khan for an attack, though she claimed she did not know Avogo would be armed with a machete. When Khan arrived, Avogo emerged from concealment, produced a 67cm-long machete from his trousers, and hacked Khan to death. CCTV footage shows Khan initially retreating and driving away, but he stopped, retrieved a tyre wrench from his boot, and confronted Avogo. In the ensuing struggle, Khan was stabbed five times—in the face, stomach, and arm—and died later that evening in hospital.
Sentencing and Judge's Remarks
On Monday, Mr Justice Bennathan sentenced Avogo to life with a minimum of 20 years, after a jury found him guilty of murder. The judge noted that Avogo remains in denial about the murder, stating that “any hope of reform and rehabilitation is a very distant prospect.” The judge also removed Avogo’s anonymity as a youth defendant, following a Press Association application, to serve as a warning against knife crime. The girl was handed a two-year detention and training order for manslaughter.
Victim Impact
Khan’s sister branded the killers “pure evil” and told them to “rot in hell.” She revealed that Khan was due to sit his final accountancy qualification exam the day after the murder and had secured a position at a leading financial firm. “He had so much to look forward to, but that was brutally snatched from him,” she said. Khan’s mother described him as “bright, strong, resilient and caring,” and expressed hope that the killers “meet a fate far worse than what they inflicted on my son.”
Avogo's History of Violence
The court heard that Avogo had a catalogue of previous knife-related incidents. In March 2025, he admitted guilt to attempted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, and unlawful wounding after stabbing a man with a machete during an e-bike robbery. He received a youth rehabilitation order with a curfew. In 2023, when aged 14, he received police cautions for attempting to shove a boy into the road and for attacking two school pupils. In January 2024, he assaulted a police officer, and in August 2024, he was found carrying a lock knife. Avogo had also suffered brain surgery after being struck with a hammer in October 2023, and claimed PTSD influenced his reaction to the confrontation with Khan.
Aftermath
Following the stabbing, the girl searched online for “Luton stabbing” and looked into deleting an Instagram account. Both defendants waved to relatives as they were led from the dock. The judge emphasized the seriousness of knife crime, stating that widespread publicity and concern militate in favor of public scrutiny.
