Pair jailed for gang murder of Abdul Xasan in Coventry

Riaz Ahmed was named for the first time on Friday after Judge Simon Drew QC lifted an order banning his identification

A man and a teenage boy who murdered a rival gang member in a drive-by shooting have been jailed.

Riaz Ahmed was 15 when he and a 20-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, killed Abdul Wahid Xasan amid "gang warfare" in Coventry.

Mr Xasan was shot twice in the back as he walked on Harnall Lane, Hillfields, in March 2020 and died in the street.

Both defendants were sentenced to life, with Ahmed ordered to serve a minimum 18 years and his accomplice 27.

They were convicted of murder last year, but Ahmed has been named for the first time after Judge Simon Drew QC lifted an order banning his identification at Birmingham Crown Court.

Abdul Wahid Xasan, from Foleshill, died in the street in March last year

Passing sentence on Friday, Mr Drew said the killing had occurred during "gang warfare" in the city, which broke out after 16-year-old Jaydon James was killed in 2018.

Mr James, known as JJ, was stabbed in Wood End and two men were jailed for his murder in November.

The killers were linked to the C2 gang in Coventry, while Mr Xasan - who was arrested just days before his death for possessing an imitation gun - was connected to rival group RB7, West Midlands Police said.

Mr Drew told Ahmed and his accomplice that it was not clear who had the gun or who drove the car and acted as a spotter, but "what is clear is that you each knew the purpose of the trip, which was to find and shoot a member of RB7".

Detectives said they believed Ahmed, who has been heavily involved in vehicle crime since he was 13, was the driver and used a stolen VW Golf, while the 20-year-old gunman "opened fire from the back seats".

The pair were caught after the electronic tags they were both wearing showed them at the murder scene at the time of the shooting.

The stolen car used in the shooting was later found burned out