Chilling moment killer stalks innocent boy, 17, just seconds before stabbing him in heart in case of mistaken identity
THIS is the chilling moment a killer stalked an innocent boy just seconds before stabbing him in the heart in a case of mistaken identity.
Muhammad Hassam Ali, 17, was knifed in the chest as he and a friend sat chatting in the middle of Birmingham city centre on January 20 this year.
CCTV shows the teenager and his friend walking through the busy Bullring shopping centre at around 2.30pm while being followed by two 15-year-old boys.
Around an hour later Muhammad and his friend were sitting near the Floozie in the Jacuzzi in Victoria Square when the two teenagers confronted them.
One of the boys wrongly accused Muhammad of attacking his cousin.
Despite protesting his innocence the two boys continued to threaten Muhammad before one took out a large knife from his coat.
Chilling footage shows the moment just before the teen plunged the blade into Muhammad’s chest and through his heart.
The two boys then fled on foot leaving Muhammad lying in a pool of blood.
His friend dialled 999 and he was rushed to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital but he was pronounced dead at 6.40pm.
West Midlands Police launched a major murder manhunt and the two teens were caught and arrested two days later on January 23.
While only one of them stabbed Muhammad, the second teen was shown to have encouraged the other.
One 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of murder and possession of a knife earlier this year.
He was jailed for at least 13 years when he appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.
His accomplice was convicted of manslaughter and possession of a bladed article and was jailed for five years.
After the sentencing, Muhammad’s family said in a statement: “We as a family still can’t even bear to think about how he died, even writing the word murdered destroys a little bit of us again.
“The loss of Muhammad, or any child, is devastating and life destroying but the fact that someone has so brutally taken his life in such a horrific way will always haunt us.
“It’s so difficult to express how his death has affected our family’s lives.
“His teachers told us how clever he was and the kindness he showed in helping others.
“The students told us how friendly and chatty he was to be around and they told us how they will miss him.
“He dreamt of becoming an engineer and his passion was to work hard to achieve his goal.
“This dream will no longer come true, not for wanting to work hard but at the hands of another.”
Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood, who led the investigation, said: “Sadly this is another case that of young men carrying a knife, and being willing to use it with catastrophic consequences.
“Muhammad had simply been enjoying a day out with a friend.
“There’s no evidence at all that he knew either of the boys who went on to kill him, and no evidence he was involved in any earlier attack.
“This appalling violence which causes misery on families has to stop.
“We are relentless in our work to tackle knife crime, arresting those who do carry blades, and helping to educate those who could be drawn into that lifestyle.”