Couple jailed for helping teenage killers

Two men who helped two teenage killers hide their clothes and possibly their murder weapon have been jailed.

Shereen Brown, 40, of Dewhurst Road, Fartown, was previously found guilty of perverting the course of justice in relation to inquests following the death of 15-year-old Khayri Mclean in Huddersfield in September 2022.

Javayne John, 22, of Annie Smith Way, had already admitted the same offence.

Brown was sentenced to 30 months in prison at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday, while John was sentenced to 20 months.

The court heard Brown was the godmother of Jakele Pusey, one of Khayri’s killers, and John’s half-sister.

Honor Judge Neil Clark said both defendants, possibly along with others, had devised a plan to conceal “highly relevant pieces of evidence” that had not previously been found.

“What happened here was a concerted effort to obstruct the investigation into such a serious incident as the stabbing of a schoolboy,” he told the court. he said.

“Even if they didn’t realize Khayri McLean had been killed, everyone knew it was very serious.”

The hearing was told that Pusey and co-defendant Jovani Harriott changed clothes before and after the attack.

He was seen on security cameras carrying bags into an alley near the wooded area before emerging in different clothes.

Prosecuting barrister Ben Hammersley said the bags contained clothing and “potential” murder weapons.

After Khayri was fatally stabbed while walking home from school, the court heard a series of phone calls were made between Brown, John and others who knew the killers.

Brown and John were later seen on CCTV heading towards the woodland area where the bags were believed to be hidden and then emerging with them.

John, who had no previous criminal record, was later seen putting the bags into a car and returning without them.

In mitigation, Danielle Graham said her client, then 20,’s action was “an instinct driven by love for his brother, combined with his immaturity and limited thinking skills.”

He claimed he was unaware of “the full horror of what was happening”.

Rick Holland, mitigating for Brown, said she was a single mother of a 17-year-old who held two cleaning jobs.

He added that it was “hard to see” there was any motivation other than misplaced loyalty.

But Judge Clark said Brown should have also thought of Hayri’s mother while trying to protect his godson.

He told the defendants that their “mistaken allegiance cannot be used as an excuse.”

John’s sentence was reduced by one-third due to his guilty plea.

Judge Clark said the defendants could spend less than half of their sentences in prison.

He said the situation was “volatile depending on crowding in prisons and government decisions.”

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