“My brother was a victim of a crime, being stabbed to death."
A group have been jailed after a man was stabbed to death as he sat drinking a coffee by a Manchester canal.
Ahmed Alsharan was stabbed in the heart and pushed into the canal.
He had been drinking coffee with his brother and a friend beside the Rochdale Canal near Dale Street on August 16, 2023, when they were approached by Mohammed Al-Enizi Hameed.
Mr Alsharan asked: “Who are you?”
Al-Enizi Hameed then issued a “call to arms” to a nearby group, shouting:
“Bring the knife – let’s kill them.”
The group ran to the scene before Mr Alsharan was stabbed in the heart and pushed into the water.
His friend Sami Alhaj was also stabbed, suffering wounds to his abdomen, armpit and lung.
Mobile phone footage showed Al-Enizi Hameed’s group shouting and gesturing at Mr Alsharan’s group as he walked away clutching his side.
Mr Alsharan managed to climb out of the canal before returning to Dale Street, where he collapsed.
He underwent open heart surgery at the scene and was rushed to hospital but died after suffering severe brain damage. A pathologist later found he suffered a deep stab wound to his heart.
Mohammed Al-Enizi Hameed, Fares Hassan, Hussein Muhalhal, Hussein Mouhelhel and two 17-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went on trial at Minshull Street Crown Court.
They all denied murder, attempted murder, and an alternate offence of wounding with intent.
Following a nine-week trial, jurors found Ali-Enizi Hameed and one of the 17-year-old boys guilty of murder earlier in 2024.
Both were also convicted of wounding, but cleared of attempted murder in relation to Mr Alhaj.
Muhalhal was not found guilty of attempted murder but guilty of wounding.
Jurors were unable to reach a verdict in respect of the offence of murder, and so not guilty verdicts were recorded.
The other 17-year-old boy was cleared of murder and attempted murder, but convicted of wounding. Mouhelhel and Hassan were acquitted of all offences.
In an impact statement from the victim’s brother, he said:
“My brother was a victim of a crime, being stabbed to death. He was innocent. My brother died a victim and he was innocent.”
Prosecutor Sharon Beattie KC added: “The evidence shows they were acting together and they were the aggressors.”
On the day of the incident, Al-Enizi Hameed put his “hands into his pocket” as if he was reaching for something before Mr Alsharan and his brother grabbed hold of him.
Prosecutors said that at that point he shouted for the others to join in the attack.
The four other men ran to the scene and a melee ensued.
Mr Alsharan was stabbed and pushed into the canal. Prosecutors said he was stabbed by one of the teenagers and pushed into the canal by Al-Enizi Hameed.
Mr Alhaj also said Al-Enizi Hameed was the one who “caused the problem” as he had approached them first before calling out to the other group to bring a knife.
Youssef Alsharan, Mr Alsharan’s younger brother, said:
“I stayed with him and he said ‘I’m losing my breathing, I cannot breathe’. Then he fainted.”
Mr Justice Pepperall said it was a summer’s day when Mr Alsharan was enjoying a coffee by the side of the canal in Piccadilly basin.
He said: “Seventy-three seconds later he had been fatally stabbed.
“The offence was committed in broad daylight, in a public area and could be seen by passing pedestrians.”
“He [Mr Alsharan] was clearly a much loved young man who was simply enjoying a coffee on a summer afternoon and his life was cut so tragically short.”
Sentencing involved:
- Mohammed Al-Enizi Hameed, aged 36, of Brighton Grove, Rusholme, was convicted of murder and section 18 wounding. He was jailed for life to serve a minimum term of 25 years.
- A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of murder and section 18 wounding. He must serve a minimum term of 14 years.
- Hussein Muhalhal, aged 20, of Lower Park Road, Longsight, was found guilty of section 18 wounding. He was jailed for five-and-a-half years.
- A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of section 18 wounding. He was detained for two-and-a-half years in a young offenders institution.
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