A man charged with the murder of a 16-year-old boy in Oxford has appeared in court.
Craig Ford, 33, of Luther Street, Oxford, made his first appearance at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday, only speaking to confirm his name.
He is charged with murder, robbery, possession of a bladed article and two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
The charge of murder relates to the fatal stabbing of teenager Harun Jama, from Birmingham, who was found near a children’s playground in Friars Wharf, shortly before 8pm on Wednesday last week.
Ford was remanded in custody to appear at the same court on February 9 alongside Alice Ashcroft, 25, also of Luther Street. She is charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
The pair are expected to enter pleas at the hearing. A provisional trial date was also set for June 11 with a trial expected to last three weeks.
A post-mortem examination found the teenager’s cause of death to be stab wounds to the abdomen, leg and chest.
Two fundraising pages have been set up to pay for Harun’s funeral and carry out charity work in Africa.
The page on JustGiving has raised £530 (£2,000 target) to build at least two wells in Ghana in the youngster’s name as Sadaqah Jaariyah, a Muslim aid charity.
The second page on gofundme has raised £950 (£5,000 target) to help fund ‘angel’ Harun’s funeral.
One of the tributes read: “We will never forget Harun’s big white smile. He was a kind, respectful and humble teenager who was loved amongst the whole community.”
Another said: “Harun was a clean hearted, bubbly young boy who had his whole life ahead of him, he was loved by many people.”
Thames Valley Police have reassured residents after Harun’s death and are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 101 quoting 43180002807 with any information.
