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| Britain |
| Pakistani race riot killers jailed for life in UK |
| 2006-05-22 |
| Race riot killers jailed for life Three young Asian men were today jailed for life for the murder of a black IT worker during race riots in Birmingham last October. Waqar Ahmed, 26, 23-year-old Azhil Khan and Afzal Khan, 22, all from Handsworth, Birmingham, should each serve a minimum of 25 years in prison for killing Isaiah Young-Sam, Mr Justice Mackay said. The 23-year-old victim - who was stabbed through the heart - his brother and two friends were attacked on the evening of October 22 purely because of their race, the judge said. "They had done nothing to these defendants, and done nothing to incur or justify hostility," he added. "What led to the death of Isaiah Young-Sam was the colour of his skin." The judge said the guilty men had been "fuelled by the mob violence which they could have resisted, could have turned away from, which they failed to do". The trio had denied murder. However, the jury at Birmingham crown court, which began considering its verdict on Thursday, was told they had fled to Huddersfield, Yorkshire, hours after the attack. The men returned to Birmingham the next day, booking one-way flights to Pakistan. They were held during a stopover in Dubai and returned to Britain. Mr Young-Sam had been walking through the Lozells area of Birmingham with his brother, Zepheniah, and two friends when he was chased and stabbed by a gang of men wearing hooded tops and bandanas, the court was told. The victim and his group had taken a quiet back route in order to avoid violence between the city's black and Asian communities that had broken out over a rumour - widely circulated but unsubstantiated - that a West Indian girl had been raped by a group of Asian men in a shop. The court heard how the four men appeared to have gone past the danger area when a gang of Asian men got out of a Toyota Corolla and chased them. Mr Young-Sam was caught by the gang, who surrounded him and, shouting racist abuse, produced weapons from under their clothing, the court heard. He was fatally stabbed, while one of his friends, Locksley Byfield, was wounded in the buttocks. The three defendants were also convicted of wounding Mr Byfield with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, for which they were jailed for 10 years to run concurrently. After the verdict, Mr Young-Sam's 22-year-old sister Kavina, flanked by her parents, read a statement describing him as a "kind, fun loving, humble, respectful and dignified young man" who lived at home and studied the Bible. "My parents, my brother and myself will never come to terms with the vicious attack and murder of Isaiah, and cannot understand how people could take the life of such an innocent young man," she said, describing the killers as "animals". During the trial, prosecutor Adrian Redgrave QC described Mr Young-Sam's murder as "a wicked killing of someone who was a total stranger to those involved in the attack". Although it was not known which of the three defendants made the fatal wound, this was irrelevant, Mr Redgrave argued. "Not only the killer himself but anyone who helped or encouraged him may be convicted of murder," he said. The rumours about the rape prompted protests outside the shop were it allegedly took place. Tension later erupted into violence during which businesses were attacked, cars set on fire and police pelted with bricks and bottles. Around 35 people needed hospital treatment. During the trial, the prosecution stressed that the case was not linked in any way to the rape allegation, but had been "one specific attack during the course of the rioting that ensued". |
| Posted by:john |
| #1 Secret Asian Men! Secret Asian Men! |
| Posted by: 6 2006-05-22 17:44 |