Zakir Nawaz death: Man jailed over Birmingham manslaughter

Zakir Nawaz, pictured with his wife Georgia, was stabbed in the chest

A man has been jailed for the manslaughter of a father of two who was stabbed to death in the street.

Zakir Nawaz died of a stab wound to the chest after being attacked in Washwood Heath, Birmingham, in September 2016.

Warsame Ahmed Mohamed, 24, "threw punches" before running off with the man believed to have stabbed Mr Nawaz, police said.

He admitted manslaughter and violent disorder and was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court for four and a half years.

Mr Nawaz, 21, was pronounced dead in Highfield Road on 10 September after being set upon by Mohamed and two other men in a dispute over a minor car crash.

West Midlands Police said the victim, who became a father for the second time just 10 days before his death, had been "repeatedly kicked, punched and stamped on by Mohamed before being stabbed".

Mohamed, of no fixed address, was arrested in January when officers spotted him walking on the M40 in High Wycombe.

Forensic experts had found DNA evidence linking him to the attack on a pair of blood-stained jeans in the boot of a Nissan Almera, found abandoned after the killing in nearby Mendip Road.

Facial mapping experts also matched Mohamed's image to CCTV footage of the crime.

Warsame Ahmed Mohamed is thought to have fled to Holland after the attack

Mohamed was due to stand trial for murder but a late guilty plea to charges of manslaughter and violent disorder was accepted by prosecutors.

He is the second man to be jailed over Mr Nawaz's death.

Waseem Raja Azram, 29, from Ward End, was jailed for two years in 2017 after admitting violent disorder.

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Det Sgt Neil Aston said: "Our argument was that he knew a member of his group was armed with a knife and was complicit in the killing."

Police have named the suspected knifeman as Abdulahi Shire, who they believe has left the country.

"We are working with Europol in a bid to trace Abdulahi Shire and bring him back to the UK to stand trial for murder," Det Sgt Aston said.

Abdulahi Shire is believed to have fled the country