Teenager imprisoned following stabbing of students near college

A teenager received a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence after stabbing two students close to their further education institution. The victims, aged 16 and 17, sustained severe stab injuries on October 9, 2023, outside a newsagent’s shop situated near Oaklands College in St Albans. Hertfordshire Police described it as a “miracle” that the injuries sustained were not life-altering. Kierson Murray, then 17 years old and residing at Link Walk in Hatfield, was convicted at St Albans Crown Court for inflicting grievous bodily harm and for the possession of a bladed article. Murray, currently 19, employed a knife to wound one victim in the back and the other in the arm around 15:40 BST on that Monday. Armed response units were dispatched to Hatfield Road, accompanied by a police helicopter and emergency medical services. Hertfordshire Police expressed gratitude to members of the public for their assistance in identifying Murray. Sgt Paul Wadsworth commented: “This was an unusual, targeted attack on two teenagers near a college at a time when children were walking home from school.” He added: “We are pleased Murray has been given a lengthy sentence for inflicting serious injuries on two teenage boys.” Sgt Wadsworth further stated: “Three young lives have changed forever following the actions of Murray and that’s the stark reality of carrying a knife. “By some miracle, the victims’ injuries are not life-changing and no members of the public were injured.””