A schoolboy was sentenced to life in prison today after kicking a man to death and then recording a video boasting that he had the “eyes of a killer”.

Police said they were shocked to discover the footage on a mobile phone belonging to Andrew Smith, who was 15 when he punched, kicked and stamped on Asaf Mahmood Ahmed in central Bolton.

Smith was sentenced to a minimum 13 years detention at Manchester Crown Court today while his accomplice Jason Bolton, 18, was ordered to spend at least 17 years in jail.

Mr Ahmed, 28, who had three children, was brutally attacked as he sat on the steps of a nightclub on December 21, 2007.

The boys initially targeted another man but he was too strong for them and escaped unhurt. Moments later they turned their attention to Mr Ahmed, who was 5ft 5ins and weighed seven stone.

The court heard Mr Ahmed died from an asthma attack as he lay in a pool of blood with his inhaler by his side.

The judge said Smith had left the scene after the attack, but Bolton returned and kicked Mr Ahmed’s inhaler out of his hand.

Mr Justice MacDuff, who passed sentence, told the court that the attacks were “callous, unprovoked and lacking in humanity” and that Smith took “pride” in filming himself after the killing.

“Both of you refuse to accept any real responsibility for, or understanding of, your wicked attack on Mr Ahmed,” he said. “You have no compassion - your only concern was to save your own necks.”

Dave Hickey, the Deputy Senior Investigating Officer, said officers were appalled when they watched the footage of Smith looming over the camera phone and bragging about his savage attack.

“It’s difficult to understand why someone would aggrandise what has happened,” he said.

“These sentences reflect the level of violence and the horror of the case and will go some way to appease the family and help them come to terms with what’s happened.”

Following the teenagers’ conviction last month the Ahmed family issued a statement saying they had been devastated by the attack.

They said: “Asaf was a quiet, private man who would not harm anyone. He was a good son, brother, husband and father to his three children.

“We are not a family without him: something is missing. We will miss him every day of our lives.”

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