The 17-Year-Old Admitted Knifing Hassan Mahmood
The 17-year-old admitted knifing Hassan Mahmood at Oaklands Recreational Ground on Wash Lane, South Yardley on 15 July last year. He claimed that he did not intend to kill him but was found guilty of murder following his trial in January.
The court heard that the teenager had been planning the fight throughout the afternoon on 15 July last year and took a knife with him when he went to the park.
Witnesses describe how Hassan tried to back away when he saw that his attacker was armed but the pair ended up fighting on the floor, during which Hassan was stabbed in the back.
When an onlooker intervened, the teenager ran away, leaving his jacket, cigarettes and a bus pass at the scene, which officers immediately used to identify him as a suspect.
Hassan was treated by paramedics, who arrived within minutes, but died a short time later at nearby Heartlands Hospital as a result of a stab wound to the back.
The defendant was picked up along with a friend, aged 16, on a nearby street, by passing police officers in the minutes that followed the stabbing, after they saw that he had injuries to his face.
He had not been identified as a suspect at the time and when he refused to tell those officers what had happened to him, they agreed to drop him off at his friend’s house.
When police became aware that he was the prime suspect for the stabbing, they returned to the property and found him cleaning himself and his clothes in the bathtub and his friend just coming out of the shower. Both were arrested straight away.
Detective Inspector Warren Hines, who led the investigation, said: “Hassan went to the park that day expecting a fist-fight with another teenager to settle their differences, but by arming himself with a knife the defendant knowingly raised the stakes and it ended in a young lad losing his life.
“He clearly intended to cause some serious harm which is obvious from his lack of remorse and from the sickening way that he laughed and smiled when he was told of Hassan’s death. He seemingly relished the opportunity to brag about what he’d done after he was arrested and told officers he expected to be released without charge because they wouldn’t be able to find the murder weapon. But he was wrong.
“The consequences of carrying a knife are grave and anyone who sets foot in public with a knife not only endangers other people’s lives but also their own. If someone with a knife gets caught up in a row or scuffle, there’s every chance that knife could be used to injure or kill – and may well be used against the carrier. And anyone using a knife in anger can expect to waste much of their life behind bars.”
Restrictions remain in place preventing the identification of the 17-year-old and a 16-year-old boy who was cleared of assisting an offender.
