Four men given life sentences for murder of Leicester teenager, victim's family 'haunted by horror'

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Four men given life sentences for murder of Leicester teenager, victim's family 'haunted by horror'

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London (HOL) - Four men have been jailed for life for a brutal ambush-style murder of a Leicester teenager last September.

Abdirahim Mohamed, 18, died in hospital during the early hours of September 9, 2021, after being found in Melbourne Street, Leicester, on the previous evening with multiple stab wounds, according to Leicestershire Police.

Four of the six culprits - Rizwan Gul, 26; Mohammed Hansrod, 30; Israfeel Gul, 28; and Zakir Brant, 26 - were sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of murder on Tuesday.

Rizwan Gul and Mohammed Hansrod, the two ringleaders, were each jailed for life with a minimum of 28 years. Israfeel Gul Gul and Zakir Brant must serve a minimum of 25 years.

Daniel Pollard, 30; and Bhavic Parmar, 26, were found guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Mohammed following the trial and were given 14 years, with Parmar getting an extra two-and-a-half years for other unrelated offences.

Fahad Ali Saleem, 26, and Muhamad Firoz Khan, 34, were guilty of assisting in the murder plot. Saleem was given seven years and eight months for his role, while Khan received a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to assisting an offender.

Police allege the incident was carried out in retaliation for an armed raid on the gang's drug den and that the men arranged a fake drug deal to lure Abdirahim Mohamed.

The court heard the four men sentenced for murder chased Mohamed before stealing his wristwatch and assaulting him "with murderous intent."

From left to right: Rizwan Gul, Mohammed Hansrod, Israfeel Gul and Zakir Brant. LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE

Farhad Ali Saleem (left) and Muhamad Firoz Khan were found guilty of assisting an offender

Prosecutor James House read a victim impact statement on behalf of Abdirahim Mohamed's family in which they expressed anguish over how their son was murdered.

"It is difficult for us to express our feeling of loss. It's so great it is visceral with the sorrow.

"It comes with waves of panic at the thought of never seeing our son again and for him to never be a part of our lives. We are tormented at the thought of what he endured.

"We wonder how long our son was conscious when they brutally murdered him. We are incandescent with rage at the thought of it. There is no comfort to be had.

"In his last hours, he was faced with terror and brutality all alone. Our lives will never be the same - his death leaves a yawning chasm."

After the sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Tony Yarwood of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit said: "This was an extremely violent and planned attack on an 18-year-old man which took away his life. My thoughts remain with Mr Mohamed's family at this time, who have suffered unimaginable pain and loss."

The defendants

Rizwan Gul, 26, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years
Mohammed Hansrod, 30, of Dulverton Road, Leicester, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years
Israfeel Gul, 28, of New Way Road, Leicester, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 25 years
Zakir Brant, 26, of Bale Road, Leicester, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 25 years
Daniel Pollard, 30, of Calder Road, Leicester, was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 14 years
Bhavic Parmar, 26, of Bowling Green Street, was found not guilty of murder but convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 14 years. He was also given a two-and-a-half year sentence, to run consecutively, for an unconnected matter
Farhad Ali Saleem, 26, of Frederick Road, Leicester, was found guilty of assisting an offender and jailed for seven years and eight months
Muhamad Firoz Khan, 34, had previously admitted assisting an offender and was jailed for three years
Abdul Suleman, 59, of Jupiter Close, Leicester, was found not guilty of murder and not guilty of manslaughter
Adam Brant, 29, of Bale Road, Leicester, was found not guilty of assisting an offender
Khatib Gul, 58, of Apollo Court, Leicester, was found not guilty of assisting an offender

Hashim Duale MBE, Community Leader and Spokesperson of the family, told Hiiraan Online earlier this week that he "hopes that the verdict brings some comfort to Abdirahim's family." Duale thanked the police and the courts for their work in the case.

According to court testimony, seven armed men clad in dark clothing and balaclavas chased Mohamed before cornering him on a nearby road and stabbing him seven times. Mohamed was struck with knives, bats and metal bars. The brutal attack left Mohamed bleeding out on the street with a punctured lung and a broken skull.

He was transported to the hospital by ambulance, but pronounced dead the next morning.

Yarwood said, "public information was vital in helping us to progress our inquiries and to find those responsible for Mr Mohamed's death."

A witness recognized one of the attackers after he rolled his balaclava on top of his head, revealing his face. The attackers also lost the keys to their getaway vehicle.

Following Abdirahim's murder, his friends and family were left to clean the street themselves after they arrived for a vigil in the area and found the road stillstained with Abdirahim's blood.

Leicestershire Police apologized to Abdirahim's family and said it would launch an "urgent enquiry" into the matter.

Less than a week after the murder, six of the seven attackerswere in custody. The final suspect has never been found.

Yarwood added, "sadly, today's sentencing is yet another example of a young life being lost due to knife crime. We need to continue working together to stop this from happening."

SOURCE:- HIIRAAN.COM