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A teenager has been found guilty of murdering Alfie Lewis outside a school in Horsforth.

The boy, who cannot be named due to being just 15, was convicted by a jury following a two-week trial at Leeds Crown Court.

He previously admitted to killing Alfie by stabbing him through the heart, but said it was self defence, claiming that he was scared of being attacked. Having deliberated since yesterday afternoon, the jury did not believe his story and unanimously returned a guilty verdict.

Alfie (pictured) was stabbed to death on a street on Horsforth. (pics by WYP / SWNS)

The boy, who has been held on remand since his arrest just minutes after he killed Alfie, was remanded back into custody and will appear for sentencing on June 21. He will be given a life sentence, but a minimum term will be set by the judge.

The boy stabbed Alfie to death near to St Margaret’s Primary School on the afternoon of November 7 last year in front of horrified parents gathering to collect their children.

The trial, which began on April 22, heard that Alfie and the defendant had previous altercations, including a fight in the months before the fatal stabbing involving the defendant and one of Alfie's friends.

Phone footage of that fight was played to the court and showed Alfie trying to stamp on the defendant. Then a week before his death, the boy said Alfie had tried to rob him of his bag but he managed to run away.

The teenager, claimed he feared for his safety, took the knife from the kitchen at his home, telling the court he feared he would bump into Alfie that day. He hid it in the waistband of his trousers and carried it around all day.

He then saw Alfie at the junction of Church Lane and Church Road. Numerous witnesses said they saw the boy attacking Alfie with the knife, with Alfie walking backwards away from him.

The boy told the court that he felt he “had no other choice” but to pull out the knife and was “trying to protect” himself when Alfie tried to grab him. He stabbed him through the heart with the 13cm-long knife before running off and dropping the knife.

He was arrested a short time later. Passers-by came to Alfie's aid after he collapsed face first onto the floor. He was rushed to hospital but died a short time later from catastrophic internal bleeding.

Teenager found guilty of murdering Alfie Lewis outside Leeds school