"Sadly this is another case of young men carrying a knife"
Two 15-year-old boys were sentenced for the killing of Muhammad Ali, who was stabbed to death in Birmingham’s Victoria Square.
Muhammad and a friend arranged to meet up in the city centre at around 2:30 pm on January 20, 2024.
They met up in the Little Dessert shop in the Bullring before heading towards Victoria Square, where they sat next to the Floozie in the Jacuzzi.
They were unaware that they had been followed by two teenagers who were intending to confront them.
The pair confronted Muhammad and his friend, demanding to know where they were from and if they were responsible for an earlier attack on one of their friends. They weren’t.
The pair continued to question Muhammad and his friend until Muhammad told the pair to go away because he did not know what they were talking about.
At that point, one of the boys pulled out a large knife and stabbed Muhammad in the chest before fleeing.
Muhammad was taken to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but he was pronounced dead at around 6:40 pm.
Using CCTV footage, the boys were identified and tracked. They were arrested on January 23.
One of the boys stabbed Muhammad but the second youth was shown to have encouraged the other.
One boy was convicted of murder and possession of a knife earlier this year. The other was convicted of manslaughter and possession of a bladed article.
The boy convicted of murder was ordered to be detained at his majesty’s pleasure for at least 13 years. The other youth was jailed for five years.
In a statement, Muhammad’s family said:
“We as a family still can’t even bear to think about how he died, even writing the word murdered destroys a little bit of us again.
“The loss of Muhammad, or any child, is devastating and life-destroying but the fact that someone has so brutally taken his life in such a horrific way will always haunt us.
“It’s so difficult to express how his death has affected our family’s lives.”
“His teachers told us how clever he was and the kindness he showed in helping others.
“The students told us how friendly and chatty he was to be around and they told us how they will miss him.
“He dreamt of becoming an engineer and his passion was to work hard to achieve his goal. This dream will no longer come true, not for wanting to work hard but at the hands of another.”
Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood, of West Midlands Police, said:
“Sadly this is another case of young men carrying a knife, and being willing to use it with catastrophic consequences.
“Muhammad had simply been enjoying a day out with a friend. There’s no evidence at all that he knew either of the boys who went on to kill him, and no evidence he was involved in any earlier attack.
“This appalling violence which causes misery on families has to stop.
“We are relentless in our work to tackle knife crime, arresting those who do carry blades, and helping to educate those who could be drawn into that lifestyle.
“But we need help. We need help from parents, guardians, teachers – anyone who cares for young people.
“I’d urge them to share Muhammad’s story with the young people in their lives and to really consider the devastating consequences it has had for everyone involved.”
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