A fugitive who murdered an Afghan asylum seeker in a "senseless and cowardly act" over a £10 debt has been jailed.

Moosakhan Naseri, known as Moosa, was only 20 years old when he was set upon by a group of fellow Afghans in Plashet Park, East Ham, on October 15 2017.

He was punched and kicked by the attackers and fatally stabbed once in the chest by Javid Ahmadzai, jurors were told.

Ahmadzai was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday (August 10) to a mimium of 24 years after being found guilty of murder and violence disorder at the same court on August 1.

Prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC said the brutal attack took place because the victim owed £10 for some drugs which he could not pay back immediately.

An argument broke out between him and three of the group before the defendant received a phone call summoning him to the park to join in.

After the killing, Ahmadzai fled to France where in September 2018 he was convicted of stabbing a man in the chest during a row over the behaviour and language of the group he was in.

On the day of his release from French custody on June 21 last year, he was extradited back to the UK and arrested for murder.

Sentencing Ahmadzai Judge Mark Dennis KC told the court the defendant had first moved to the UK from Afghanistan to claim asylum as a teenager.

“But he had been refused, and in due course he had been deported back to Afghanistan in 2015,” he said.

“It was stated in evidence by him that he had re-entered the country illegally in early 2017.”

He said that Ahmadzai had “multiple” previous convictions for violent or aggressive offending between 2013-2014.

He added that Ahmadzai’s use of a knife in the murder of Mr Nasiri “was a senseless and cowardly act against an unarmed and defenceless victim”.

The court heard a victim impact statement from Mr Naseri’s cousin, Daud Musafar, who said he could not believe that his cousin had been murdered.

“When I found out, I could not believe what I was hearing, especially in a safe country like the UK,” he said.

“Moosakhan was a young man, who lost his life at such a young age.

“He was a happy and active young man and we were very close to each other, just like brothers. We looked after each other in the UK.”

He said that Ahmadzai’s conviction meant that he and his family could “move on”.

He added: “Although Moosakhan will never come back, the conviction of Javid has brought an end to this part of our lives.

“I would like to let the judge and the court know, how much I suffered during this time and how this situation has affected my life.”

The court heard that Mr Naseri came to the UK in 2005 to seek asylum because of the actions of the Taliban.

He lived in Bradford before moving to London to stay with an Afghan foster family near Plashet Park.

Although he was not entitled to work in the UK, he would find occasional employment as a labourer, jurors were told.

Det Chf Insp Mark Rogers said: "The level of violence used was shocking to the members of the public in the park that day and I commend all those who have helped our investigation.

"It is tragic that Moosakhan, an Afghan national, had come to the UK looking for a safer life after fleeing the Taliban in his home country."