Killer's 15-year sentence will not be reviewed

An appeal to review the 15-year jail sentence of a man involved in the fatal stabbing of a Leeds teenager has been turned down.

Ranei Wilks, 23, was jailed in March after being convicted of the manslaughter of 18-year-old Jamie Meah in 2023.

His sentence had been referred to the Attorney General under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme but, after a review, it was not referred to the Court of Appeal.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said: "After careful consideration the Solicitor General has concluded this case cannot properly be referred to the Court of Appeal."

They added: "A referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme to the Court of Appeal can only be made if a sentence is not just lenient but unduly so, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence.

"The threshold is a high one, and the test was not met in this case."

Wilks was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter and a charge of wounding another teenager with intent to cause GBH following a trial at Leeds Crown Court on 3 February.

During the trial the court heard Mr Meah was stabbed to death and a 16-year-old boy was seriously injured when they were dragged out of a taxi by a gang of men in Armley.

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