Knife wielding teenager who terrorised family jailed for seven years

In the early hours of 14 September last year, Zakaraya Juayl began shouting for his ‘friend’ to come out of her home in Kingfisher Way, Cambridge.

The mother of the girl looked out of the window to see the 18-year-old stood wearing a black hoody, face mask and holding a large knife. They ignored his plea to see his friend and went back to bed.

A short while later Juayl smashed through the kitchen window and chased the trio, which included a 12-year-old boy, through the house forcing them to barricade themselves into a bedroom.

Juayl used his knife to repeatedly stab the door and slashed a number of coats hanging up before fleeing with an electric scooter once police had been called.

Juayl was identified by his description and officers went to his home in Chesterton Road the next morning where he was found sat inside his youth workers’ car about to leave for his first day at sixth form college.

He attempted to make off but was arrested and found in possession of a large combat knife.

Zakaraya Juay has been jailed for seven years for forcibly entering a house brandishing this knife. He was arrested the day after the attack, sat inside his youth workers’ car about to leave for his first day at sixth form college (Image: Cambs Police)

Juayl pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, criminal damage and two counts of possession of a knife.

At Leeds Crown Court on Friday (April 30) he was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison, extended for three years on licence.

He was also given a five-year restraining order not to contact the victims or enter Cambridge city.

Detective Constable Matt Smith, who investigated, said: “Juayl is a violent individual with previous convictions for weapons offences. This was a heinous and senseless attack on a family that had originally befriended him.

“This kind of lawlessness will not be tolerated and the sentence reflects the seriousness and terror Juayl caused to the family.”