Cold-blooded killers who stabbed Daneiko Ferguson to death in Harehills drugs row jailed for 54 years

Alga Lutondo and Halgon Randon were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court for the cold-blooded murder of the 27-year-old on Compton Street in the early hours of February 15 last year.

Both had sought to blame each other for the brutal killing. Lutondo, 33, was found guilty of murder after a trial in December, with the jury unable to decide on 43-year-old Randon. He was found guilty earlier this month following a retrial. Both were also found guilty of conspiring to cause Mr Ferguson GBH, while Randon was also convicted of possessing weapons and drugs dating from August 2022.

Only Lutondo was present in court today with Randon absent. Lutondo had attacked Randon in the dock at the end of the first trial and the potential for further trouble was recently raised in having both side-by-side in the dock for today’s sentencing hearing. Randon had asked to appear via video link, which the court refused.

Today, the judge, his Honourable Mr Justice Kerr, gave them both life sentences, telling Lutondo he must serve at least 28 years behind bars, with Randon given a minimum of 26 years.

He said: “You both looked for him to do him serious harm. When you found him one or both of you fatally stabbed him. The prosecution can’t say and I can’t be sure if one or both of you stabbed him.

“The attack was vicious and both of you took part in it. I’m sure you did not care if he lived or died.”

The court had heard that known drug dealer Lutondo was furious with Mr Ferguson for “taxing” one his street dealers hours before. Mr Ferguson had gone to the woman’s house on Cowper Terrace in the early hours of February 15 last year – kicking his way into her property and demanding she hand over her drugs.

After he left, the woman called Lutondo to tell him about Ferguson’s attack saying he had “kicked down her door”. Vengeful Lutondo then recruited Randon as “muscle” and the pair both set off on push bikes searching for Ferguson, whom they did not know.

When they found him at a bus stop on Compton Street, they repeatedly stabbed him before riding off, leaving Mr Ferguson collapsed at the side of the road. He was found by a passing taxi driver at around 3am and was taken to hospital, but died a short time later.

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He was stabbed five times to the head, torso, pelvis and the groin – the latter cutting his femoral artery and causing “catastrophic bleeding”.

Lutondo later tried to leave the country, but was stopped from boarding a flight at Heathrow which was bound for Africa.

Lutondo, formerly of Berkeley Crescent, Harehills, and Randon, of Brown Hill Terrace, Harehills, were later charged with murder. Both Lutondo and Randon accepted being on Compton Street, but each said the other was responsible for stabbing him.

Speaking after today’s hearing, the senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Damian Roebuck said: “Daneiko’s family are understandably devastated that he has been taken from them in such violent and unnecessary circumstances.

“Regardless of the apparent background to the attack on him, there can be absolutely no justification for brutally taking someone’s life like this. Lutondo and Randon are clearly dangerous individuals who were prepared to use extreme violence to settle a score without any consideration for the consequences.

“We hope their convictions and imprisonment for Daneiko’s murder will give at least some small measure of comfort to his family as they continue to deal with the pain and heartbreak they are going through.”