Jury retires in trial of boys accused of murder

Muhammad Hassam Ali, 17, died from his injuries after he was stabbed in Victoria Square, Birmingham

A jury has been sent out to consider its verdicts in the case of two 15-year-old boys accused of murder over the stabbing of a 17-year-old in Birmingham city centre.

During the two-week trial at Coventry Crown Court, the jury heard how Muhammad Hassam Ali, known as Ali, was stabbed once in the chest following a short altercation in Victoria Square just before 15:30 BST on Saturday 20 January.

The boy accused of delivering the fatal blow had told the court he carried a knife for protection, because he had been attacked previously.

The knife used to stab Ali was described as doubled pronged and about the length of an A4 piece of paper.

The court heard the accused boys, who cannot be named because of their age, had followed Ali and his friend from the Bullring shopping centre, believing Ali to have been involved in "jumping" one of the boys’ cousins about a week earlier.

One of the boys has admitted to stabbing Ali, but claimed he was not aware at the time what had happened. He said he only learned of Ali’s death when he saw a news report the next day.

The court was shown CCTV during the trial, showing the accused boys running away from the scene towards Broad Street.

The defendant who stabbed Ali told the court the gloves he was wearing were disposed of in a canal, his coat was burned, and the knife also disposed of after it was taken to the house of a friend.

Ali died in hospital about three hours after he was stabbed.

Pathologist Charlotte Randall confirmed cause of death as a single, 6cm (2.3-inch) stab wound to the chest, that had penetrated the right lung and pulmonary artery.

A post mortem exam revealed at least a moderate degree of force was used, the court heard.