Seven men accused of ‘drug turf war’ murder
DEFENDANTS DENY ROLE IN STAB DEATH OF TEEN
SEVEN men have gone on trial accused of murdering a teenager in what the prosecution has characterised as a drugs turf war.
The alleged victim, 18-year-old Abdirahim Mohamed, was stabbed seven times and also suffered a severe head injury.
It was claimed he had earlier robbed drug-dealing rivals of a mobile phone that contained a valuable list of their customers.
His death, in Highfields, Leicester, in September last year, was an alleged revenge attack, Leicester Crown Court heard.
The accused, who all deny murder, are:
■ Rizwan Gul, 26, of no fixed address;
■ Zakir Brant, 26, of Bale Road, Northfields;
■ Mohammed Israfeel Gul, 28, of New Way Road, Stoneygate;
■ Daniel Pollard, 30, of Calder Road, Beaumont Leys;
■ Mohammed Hansrod, 30, of Dulverton Road, Westcotes;
■ Abdul Hemid Suleman, 59, of Jupiter Close, Highfields;
■ Bhavic Parmar, 26, of Bowling Green Street, Leicester.
Opening the prosecution case, James House QC said: “At 11.40pm on September 8, a young man, Abdirahim Mohamed, was chased, caught, beaten, stabbed seven times and left bleeding to death.
“Despite the efforts of those living nearby who came to his aid, along with the police and paramedics, he couldn’t be saved.
“He died 1.21am on September 9, at Leicester Royal Infirmary. The cause of death was a combination of a large skull fracture, causing injury to his brain, and two of the seven stab wounds, resulting in serious internal injuries and significant blood loss.”
The prosecutor said Abdirahim was a drug dealer and the defendants set him up by getting Abdul Suleman to lure him to the area.
Mr House said: “When they knew Abdirahim was where they wanted
him to be they drove, in two cars to the location armed with, at the very least, two knives, probably more, as well as bats, poles or pieces of wood.
“All were wearing balaclavas or masks with hoods up to hide their identities.
“Having attacked Abdirahim they made good their escape in one of the two cars they arrived in, leaving the other at the scene – which wasn’t part of the plan as they’d accidentally dropped the car keys next to the man they’d attacked.”
The reason he was attacked was because he was a rival drug dealer, Mr House said.
He said on September 6, Abdirahim and others launched “an attack” on an address associated with Gul, who was there with Hansrod and another man, Fahad Ali Saleem, who suffered injury and required hospital treatment.
The prosecutor claimed Abdirahim and those with him robbed Gul of his car keys. They took his car and mobile phones.
One handset contained customer contact details, said to have been useful for Abdirahim and his associates to take over supplying to their rivals’ clients, Mr House said.
He said: “It’s what’s commonly known as a turf war, with rival dealers vying for customers and prepared to attack one another in order to obtain them.
“Having been attacked and robbed, Rizwan Gul and the others set about exacting revenge and it led to the attack on Abdirahim.
“Having attacked and killed him, many of those involved left Leicester and five of the attackers arrived in Birmingham, in the early hours of September 9. The remaining two, Abdul Suleman and Mohammed Hansrod, stayed in Leicester.”
Suleman claimed to have been a witness to the attack, but the police did not believe him and he was arrested on September 10.
Hansrod initially stayed local, before travelling to Birmingham with his girlfriend, on September 10.
Mr House said: “The prosecution says the fact the defendants went to Birmingham, hours after the killing, is compelling evidence as to who was involved in this murder.
“They were all part of a group, who arrived at the scene in two cars, to attack Abdirahim.”
Mr House said the prosecution was unable to say who had delivered which blow and with which weapons.
However, he said: “That doesn’t matter. They all went there with the same intention, that Abdirahim would be attacked and at the very least seriously injured.”
Mr House alleged Suleman’s “similarly critical role” was to lure Abdirahim and to inform the others when he arrived – and they were all jointly responsible.
Three other men are also on trial charged with assisting an offender – which they deny – by allegedly providing help, such as clothing or transport.
They are: Fahad Ali Saleem, 26, of Frederick Street, Spinney Hills; Khatib Gull, 58, of Apollo Court, Highfields; and Adam Brant, 29, of Bale Road, Northfields.
Mr House told the jury: “The prosecution alleges these three assisted one or more of the defendants after the killing, by getting them away from Leicester, or supporting them in some way, while in Birmingham – knowing they’d been involved in the attack on Abdirahim, or they’d been involved in some crime, at the very least.”
The trial continues.