'I doubt anyone there that night will forget what they saw... so many lives were ruined'

Army cadet Nathaniel Shani was just 14-years-old when he died after being brutally stabbed to the neck in an alleyway in Harpurhey.

Tragedy struck on September 15, 2023, after a row erupted over cannabis being stolen. Nathaniel was found with serious injuries after the incident in Tavistock Square.

Two boys, Boy A, aged 15, and Boy B, aged 14, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were both found guilty of his murder following a trial at Manchester Crown Court earlier this year.

READ MORE Two teens jailed for life for the murder of Nathaniel Shani

Following the brutal murder, a DCI within Greater Manchester Police has issued a powerful message about the destruction caused by young people carrying, and using knives, saying: "There is no positive outcome, it’s a split-second decision to use a knife and the aftermath will always fatal."

The court previously heard how Nathaniel and Boy A had met in an alleyway off Tavistock Square as part of a ‘fight to settle differences’. On the day of the killing, cannabis had been stolen from a friend of Nathaniel’s by Boy B.

An arrangement was made to meet to ‘sort things’, the court was told. Nathaniel arrived in the square at about 6pm and met with Boy A and Boy B. During the confrontation Nathaniel punched Boy A, who then produced a knife and stabbed him to the neck.

Nathaniel was seen clutching his neck after being knifed, before collapsing in the square. He was pronounced dead at 7.08pm.

At trial, Boy A admitted stabbing Nathaniel and said he regretted doing so, but he denied murder. He claimed that Nathaniel was acting 'aggressively' and that he had threatened to stab him, and so was 'acting in self defence'. Boy A said he had armed himself for 'protection'. Boy B admitted taking cannabis from another boy.

Emergency services arrived at the scene, at around 6pm, where Nathaniel was then rushed to hospital. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, he died a short time later.

The turmoil suffered by his family was laid bare in court, as his grieving dad, Frank Shani, said: "Love, happiness, joy and celebrations seems to be a thing of the past. Our future is full of sadness.

“The pain of losing a child is impossible to describe, it is not something the family would wish anyone to experience. Every morning we open our eyes, it's like we lose Nathaniel again. Our hearts have been bleeding.

"Our lives have been changed forever, our hearts break for our baby boy Nathaniel - he died without us by his side. We can only hope children learn the danger of carrying knives - no knife is too small. When you think of picking up a knife, think of Nathaniel.”

The boys were both detained at His Majesty's Pleasure, the equivalent of a life sentence. Boy A will serve a minimum term of 13 years in custody before he is considered for release by the Parole Board. Boy B will serve a minimum of 10 years.

'So many lives were ruined'

After sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, issued a stark message about young people carrying knives.

She said: “Nathaniel’s family will never get over this tragic loss of life, a life that has been lost far too soon.

“Nathaniel was 14-years-old, a young man with dreams and aspirations, he enjoyed his cadets, Formula 1 and gaming. On the night of the murder, Nathaniel was ironing his cadet uniform and polishing his boots, something which he was immensely proud of, before he left the house and never returned.

“I’d like to thank the members of the public, especially the two community nurses who rushed to Nathaniel’s side, and the paramedics and response police officers who also attended this incident to give Nathaniel CPR in an attempt to give him the best possible chance of life.

“I’d also like to extend this gratitude to the Major Incident Team detectives who have dedicated hundreds of hours to this case to ensure that Nathaniel’s family and friends received the answers they need to come to terms with their loss. We know this won’t bring him back – but hopefully it can provide at least some comfort knowing that those guilty have been sentenced to a total of 23 years.

“There are no winners in murder trials, especially when those involved are children, whether victim, witness or suspect.

“It is a moment to recognise, however, the bravery of the children who saw Nathaniel die in the street and were mentally strong enough to relive the incident over and over again in court.

“I doubt anyone who was there will forget what they saw on Friday 15 September last year, Nathaniel was barely a teenager and will remain forever so.

“Nathaniel’s death is a bleak reminder of what happens when children choose to carry knives, in their words, as we heard in court, “for their protection”. It is never for protection, knives are carried and used with the intent to cause really serious harm. Nathaniel was not armed with a knife and could not defend himself from the two boys who he had once called friends.

“Nathaniel’s family have been torn apart by their loss and have born the stresses of the trial with great dignity.

“So many other lives were ruined that night as well as Nathaniel’s, his young friends who saw him dying will never be able to erase this from their memories.

“Police officers and staff across Greater Manchester, and beyond, are proactively working to keep people safe, working with partner agencies to address underlying causes of knife and youth violence and working closely with the communities we serve.

“So, I’m appealing to anyone carrying a knife to hand it in before it is too late. Forever amnesty is an opportunity to surrender weapons – no questions asked. We need help from parents, carers, teachers – we need your help to get knives off the street.

“And if you don’t hand your knife in, we will use everything in our power to find out who you are and we will convict you. There is no positive outcome, it’s a split-second decision to use a knife and the aftermath will always fatal."