A gang of violent carjacking thugs who battered motorists with golf clubs, baseball bats and metal bars have had their jail terms doubled. The trio Sarweeth Rehman, Hussun Ashraf and Adal Azam, all aged 22, caused fright by carrying out a string of thefts of high-end cars across Birmingham.
In one attack, Rehman, of Hartopp Road, Alum Rock, smashed up a £10,000 BMW M4 after threatening the driver in Baxters Green, Shirley.
The three then attempted to steal two cars by smashing a car window with a hammer – while the driver was still inside and threatening another driver with a metal bar.
In Shirley a woman was dragged from behind the wheel of her Volkswagen Golf Type R in Hathaway Road and robbed a man of his Audi RS6 in Church Road, Moseley.
Rehman had followed a lone woman driver onto her driveway in Barston Lane, near Solihull, before attacking her and driving off in her Mercedes C-Class Estate. Officers, tracked the Audi RS6 less than an hour later to Spreadbury Close in Harborne and during the search of the car found an iPhone dropped by Ashraf in his haste to flee.
Ashraf’s home on Stuarts Road in Stechford was raided by police on November 9 and another phone hidden in a wardrobe was found which was used at the scene of three more carjackings. Detectives linked him to a robbery in Bracebridge Close, Balsall Common , on October 20 when a Merced
es was taken from a woman as she pulled onto her driveway, plus another two days later in Damson Lane, Solihull, when a man handed over keys to his BMW M135 having been approached by two men armed with a knife and golf club.
The next robbery saw a man wearing a balaclava drive off in a woman’s BMW M135 on October 25 from the Harvester pub car park in Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield.
Another enquiry run by West Midlands Police’s Force Priorities Team exposed how they used a yellow breakdown recovery truck to tow away seven cars parked in Birmingham streets between May 4 and June 13, 2016.
Most vehicles were taken at night with owners waking to find tyre drag marks across the road where their cars had previously been parked.
Ashraf and associate Adal Azam were arrested at 11.30pm on June 13 shortly after a BMW 1 Series was stolen from St Mary’s Road in Harborne.
A police patrol car tailed the tow truck into Gowan Road, Alum Rock, where Ashraf was detained after a brief foot-chase.
Azam, aged 22 from Watson Road, was arrested from a Vauxhall Corsa being driven in convoy with the truck.
In October 2018, Rehman, Ashraf and Azan were all sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.
Rehman was originally sentenced to five years and nine months in prison; Ashraf to six years four months in prison, and Azam to three years and 10 months in prison.
After their case was referred to the Court of Appeal by Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP on Tuesday, January, 22, all three were given much tougher sentences.
The Court of Appeal increased Rehman’s sentence to 10 years in prison, plus activation of two suspended sentences amounting to 34 weeks imprisonment to be served consecutively.
Ashraf’s was increased to 11-and-a-half years in prison, plus activation of one suspended sentence of 16 weeks imprisonment to be served consecutively, and Azam’s to six years in prison.
Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said: “These men carried out a series of violent attacks, striking when the victims were alone and then making off with their cars.
“The Court’s decision to increase their sentences now reflects the severity of their crimes.”
