Teenage girl admits to assisting an offender in Preston murder case
She disposed of weapon for killer Joshua Boardman
A teenage girl has appeared in court charged with assisting an offender in relation to the murder of Hiwa Ali-Khani in Preston last year.
Mr Ali-Khani, 27, died after being stabbed in the chest in Raikes Road, on July 8, 2022 – a tragic case of mistaken identity.
In November last year, Joshua Boardman, of Holman Street, Preston, was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 14 years and seven months to serve.
Boardman, now aged 18 but who was 16 at the time, had approached Mr Ali-Khani as he sat in his car in Raikes Road, believing him to be someone else.
He wrongly thought it was Mr Ali-Khani who had sent messages to a friend of his.
During the confrontation, Boardman stabbed him to the elbow, leg and chest.
Today (August 1), a 17-year-old girl appeared before Preston Youth Court having been summoned to attend.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to a charge of assisting an offender.
She was the girlfriend of Boardman at the time of the murder and she was then aged 15 – nearly 16.
Immediately after Boardman stabbed Mr Ali-Khani, the girl met Boardman and took the knife from him.
She disposed of the knife in a bin before later retrieving it and taking it to an address – therefore seeking to dispose of or hide the weapon.
The girl will appear before the youth court again on September 12 to be sentenced.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Haworth-Oates, of Lancashire Police’s Force Major Investigation Team, said: “Although the main offender in this shocking case was prosecuted and sentenced last year, we were determined to pursue others who were involved.
“This girl played her part by taking away the knife Boardman had used in the murder and disposing of it.
“We put together the case against her and put her before the court where she will be dealt with in due course.
“This case shows the devastating impact that knife crime has. If you carry a knife, or your friends do, this case is a warning as to how things can rapidly escalate into tragedy - resulting in a life being needlessly lost and other lives tarnished forever.” Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.