A 22-year-old man was sentenced on Friday to life in prison with 28 years of security for the murder of the cousin of British boxer Tyson Fury, who had denounced the “pandemic” of stabbing crimes in the United Kingdom.

Tyson Fury’s cousin, Rico Burton, 31, was stabbed to death in August 2022 near a bar in Altrincham (north of England).

Liam O’Prey, a homeless man, was charged a few days later. He was sentenced on Friday by the Manchester court to life in prison with a 28-year security sentence.

Tyson Fury had announced the death of his cousin on Instagram, calling on the British government to act to stop knife attacks, which are frequent in a country where the use of firearms is very strictly controlled.

“The UK government must impose tougher penalties for knife crime as soon as possible, it’s a pandemic and you don’t know how bad it is until (it affects) one of your own !” he wrote.

According to the Office for National Statistics, stabbing offenses recorded by police in England and Wales rose by 21% in the year to September 2022, with more than 45,000 offences. recorded.