Student jailed for 10 years for manslaughter over fake Rolex row
A 19-year-old student has been jailed for 10 years for manslaughter after stabbing a friend five times in a dispute over a fake Rolex watch.
How it was covered
- Channel 5 was the only channel found covering it.
- BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News and ITV: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News and Sky News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
A 19-year-old student has been jailed for 10 years for manslaughter after a dispute over a fake Rolex watch turned fatal. Harper Dennis was found guilty of killing his former friend Khalid Oladipo, who was stabbed five times during an encounter that lasted less than 30 seconds near De Montfort University in Leicester in February.
Dennis and Oladipo had met through online gaming, but their friendship soured over money and an unsuccessful attempt by Dennis to sell a fake Rolex watch that Oladipo had given him. When the financial agreement did not go as expected, Dennis threatened to expose the man and then stabbed him. CCTV footage showed Dennis running away from the scene shortly after the attack.
Dennis was arrested that evening on suspicion of murder. In police custody, he initially gave no answers to questions. Later, while awaiting trial, he provided a prepared statement claiming he had acted in self-defence and that he was attacked first. However, jurors rejected that claim and cleared him of murder but found him guilty of manslaughter. He was also convicted of having an offensive weapon and failing to provide the PIN to his phone.
The sentencing brings a devastating end to what began as a falling out between two students. The judge handed down a 10-year prison term for manslaughter, reflecting the seriousness of the violence that led to the loss of a young life.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim | |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Harper Dennis was jailed for 10 years for manslaughter after stabbing Khalid Oladipo five times, and was also convicted of having an offensive weapon and failing to provide his phone PIN. | Reported by Channel 5 |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focuses on the sequence of events, from the dispute over the fake Rolex to the stabbing and the legal outcome. It highlights the self-defence claim and the jury's rejection of it, while also noting the additional convictions for carrying an offensive weapon and failing to provide a phone PIN.
- “A row is about to play out over a fake Rolex watch involving these two students.”
- “Today, he was cleared of murder, but found guilty of manslaughter.”
- “The entire encounter lasted less than 30 seconds.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.
