Eritrean thug who asked AI for legal advice after stabbing his victim EIGHT TIMES is jailed for 25 years

Published 4 November 2026, 16:37

• Musa Salih, 19, lured victim Harley Purdue to a Chatham basement at 3am, planning to lock him in a toilet and steal his cash.
• The victim's girlfriend stepped in, and Salih tried to injure her before fleeing to London, where he was arrested.
• Grieving relatives asked for Harley Purdue to be remembered as 'the fun, loving, gentle giant that he was.'

A teenager who stabbed a man eight times during a botched robbery then fled to London and consulted an AI app for legal advice has been jailed for 25 years.

Musa Salih, 19, of Launceston Road, Greenford, west London, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on 4 November 2026 for the murder of Harley Purdue, also 19, in Chatham, Kent.

Salih had lured Purdue to the communal basement of a residential building on Thorold Road at around 3am on 2 December 2025, intending to lock him in a toilet so he could then steal money from Purdue's bedroom, according to the Kent Police press release.

When Salih tried to trap Purdue in the toilet, a struggle broke out and Salih stabbed him eight times.

Purdue's girlfriend stepped in, prompting Salih to attack her and then run from the property and the broader Medway area in an attempt to escape police.

He was arrested later the same day in Lewisham, south-east London.

A review of his phone revealed he had used an AI app to seek legal guidance and to search for news about the incident after fleeing the scene, according to Kent Police.

Salih, an Eritrean national, denied the offence, but a jury found him guilty of murder on 15 October 2026.

His 25-year sentence was reduced to 24 years and 30 days to account for time already spent on remand.

Detective Sergeant Alastair Worton said the sentence "reflects the seriousness of his crime which has left a young man's family and friends heartbroken and in grief."

Worton added that Salih's plan to steal Purdue's money "in the middle of the night, whilst armed with a knife, has resulted in a man's death and his own detention for 25 years."

The detective praised the investigation, saying the "swift response to track him down in London, followed by a comprehensive investigation, ensured the jury rightly convicted him for the crime he denied."

He also commended Harley's loved ones for their "strength and dignity throughout our investigation and the court proceedings," and said he hoped the sentence brought them "some closure and a sense that justice has been done."

In a statement, Purdue's family thanked Kent Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for their support, and asked for Harley to be remembered as "the fun, loving, gentle giant that he was."