Two 15-year-old boys from Watford have been jailed for a total of 11 years for the unprovoked manslaughter of an 18-year-old.

On the evening of February 23, Jordan Carter was fatally stabbed in the leg with a stolen knife in Berkhamsted.

Blackfriars Crown Court heard how the boys from Watford, a 16-year-old girl from Hemel Hempstead, and a 14-year-old girl, were travelling in a car, which was being driven by a 36-year-old man, when they spotted Jordan.

The 16-year-old girl knew Jordan and had recently had a falling out with him. She told the people in the car about the argument.

Jordan was walking to Tesco Express in High Street, Berkhamsted, when they saw him. One of the boys began abusing Jordan before the car continued to travel along High Street, stopping at the junction of Bell Lane.

The boys got out of the car, and armed with kitchen knives they had stolen from a shop in Hemel Hempstead earlier that day, they saw their target in Westfield Road.

Jordan was attacked, stabbed in his right leg.

In an interview after his arrest, one of the boys claimed he only thought he’d “stabbed Jordan in the arse”.

The pair from Watford ran back to the waiting car leaving Jordan to bleed to death in the street. He collapsed in a front garden but soon died despite the efforts of residents and paramedics.

After the knife attack, the boys gave the 16-year-old girl the blade, which she put in a kebab wrapper and threw in a bin at her home. Police recovered the knife when she was arrested, however forensic examination was unable to confirm that it was the weapon that killed Jordan.

Following the boys’ arrest, one of them said they only did the “punching and kicking” but admitted to instigating the unprovoked attack.

The other boy gave no comment during his interview.

The boys were jointly charged with murder but guilty pleas to manslaughter were later accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service on June 19 at Luton Crown Court.

At Blackfriars Crown Court for sentencing yesterday (Monday) one of the boys was jailed for six years. The other boy received a five year jail sentence. For legal reasons, they cannot be named.

The 16-year-old girl from Hemel Hempstead had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause actual bodily harm and assisting an offender. She was sentenced to an eight month detention and training order.

Jordan lived at home with his mother Nicola, and two younger brothers, Leon and Connor.

His parents paid tribute to Jordan in February describing their son as "a joker with a great sense of humour", adding that he had a "heart of gold".

Detective Chief Inspector Michael Branston from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: “This is a tragic tale of a young man being killed by teenagers over something very trivial.

“These boys had stolen kitchen knives earlier in the day to arm themselves and then used at least one of the weapons when carrying out an unprovoked and violent attack on Jordan.

“It seems that they had not even taken a moment to consider the devastating consequences of their actions before carrying out the attack. One of the boys in this case is reported to have said “All I thought I did was stab him in the arse”.

“I hope that young people and anyone who carries a knife or is considering doing so takes heed of this case and thinks twice before picking up a weapon.

“Jordan’s family have been left devastated and heartbroken by the loose words and rash actions of a few teenagers on that night in February.

“I’m also sure that the families of the offenders have had their lives torn apart as they’ve watched their children be arrested and jailed.”