This is the moment a teenager was stalked through a city centre before being brutally stabbed to death by 15-year-old boys who thought he was someone else.
‘Friendly and chatty’ Muhammad Ali, 17, met up with a friend for a hot chocolate before sitting down for a chat in Birmingham when they were approached by two teenagers at 2.30pm on January 20 this year.
The two 15-year-olds followed the pair before confronting them, demanding to know where they were from and if they were responsible for an earlier attack on one of their friends.
After a conversation lasting about four minutes, Muhammad told them to leave because he didn’t know what they were talking about.
One of the boys ‘suddenly pulled out a knife’ and stabbed him in the chest in what police called a case of ‘mistaken identity’.
Muhammad – who wanted to be an engineer – was rushed to hospital but the damage to his heart was too much and he sadly died that evening.
While only one of the teenagers stabbed Muhammad, the second was shown to have encouraged the other.
Police tracked the boys from CCTV and arrested them on January 23. The video shows two figures in dark coats with the hoods up walking together.
It then cut to show they were following Muhammad and his friend, who go on to sit by a fountain to talk. The two younger teenagers then walk up and stand in front of the friends – before one pulls out a knife.
One 15-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was convicted of murder and possession of a knife earlier this year. The other was convicted of manslaughter and possession of a bladed article.
At Birmingham Crown Court, the boy convicted of murder was ordered to be detained for at least 13 years. The other youth was jailed for five years.
In a statement, Muhammad’s family said: ‘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 dream’t 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.’
Det Insp 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.
‘But we need help. We need help from parents, guardians, teachers – anyone who cares for young people. I’d urge them to share Muhammad’s story with the young people in their lives and to really consider the devastating consequences it has had for everyone involved.’
‘Our fight against knife crime in the West Midlands is Project Guardian and sees us carrying out dedicated patrols in areas where we know there is a problem. But we also work with schools and youth organisations to educate young people on the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.’