Court Two guilty of killing man in race attack
ONE man has admitted murder and his cousin has been found guilty of the manslaughter of Mikhail Hanid in Weston-super-Mare.
Samuel Ford, 30, was convicted of manslaughter on Wednesday following a three-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.
His 28-year-old cousin Curtis Ford admitted murder on the first day of the trial. Both cousins live on Baildon Road in Weston-superMare.
The court heard Samuel had his bike stolen a couple of days before the fatal attack.
He sent a number of messages to a friend wrongly accusing Mr Hanid of being responsible, despite there being no evidence to support the claims.
The messages included racially abusive language and threats against the 47-year-old victim.
Shortly after midnight on Saturday, June 27, police received a call reporting a number of men fighting in the Ridgeway Avenue area of Weston.
Officers quickly attended and found Mr Hanid seriously injured,
with a number of stab wounds.
Despite emergency treatment being offered at the scene by police officers and paramedics, Mr Hanid died in hospital of his injuries, surrounded by his family, on June 30.
Curtis and Samuel Ford fled the
scene after Mr Hanid was stabbed and, within minutes of the attack, Samuel tried to get his friend to delete the messages he’d previously sent making threats against Mr Hanid.
Jurors found Samuel Ford not
guilty of murder and returned a guilty verdict of manslaughter. Both men will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on January 7.
The Major Crime Investigation Team conducted the murder investigation, while specially trained liaison officers and Stand Against Racism and Inequality (SARI) continue to support Mr Hanid’s family.
Detective Chief Inspector James Riccio said: “Mikhail Hanid was an innocent man who did not know his killers and was subjected to a horrific attack. Neither Curtis Ford nor Samuel Ford have shown any remorse for their actions.
“Curtis only pleaded guilty at the last minute due to the wealth of evidence against him. Samuel desperately tried to cover his tracks and failed to co-operate with police during interviews.
“The abusive racial language used came to light after both men were charged and this has been treated as a hate crime. There is absolutely no place in society for such abhorrent views and we’re grateful for SARI’s assistance during our investigation.
“Mikhail’s family and friends have spoken glowingly about him and I’d like to thank them for their support while this investigation was carried out as we sought to achieve justice.
“Our thoughts and sympathies remain with them and we will continue to offer them any support they need.”