The teenage former girlfriend of a murderer has admitted assisting her then boyfriend following the stabbing of a man to death in a case of mistaken identity.
Joshua Boardman, now 18, stabbed Hiwa Ali-Khani in the elbow, leg and chest – wrongly believing him to be someone else who had sent messages to his friend.
The 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender.
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She was 15 at the time of the murder of Mr Ali-Khani, 27, which took place in Raikes Road, Deepdale on 8 July last year.
Immediately after the stabbing the girl met Boardman, who was jailed for life for the killing after pleading guilty, and took the knife from him.
She disposed of the knife in a bin before later retrieving it and taking it to a property.
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.”
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Boardman, of Holman Street, Deepdale, was 16 at the time of the murder and was sentenced to a minimum term of 14 years and seven months.
The 17-year-old girl is due to appear before Preston Youth Court on September 12 to be sentenced.
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