The courtrooms of Birmingham witnessed a procession of deeply disturbing and unusually sinister criminals during 2025. From a bungling American 'assassin' to a predator who snatched a child from the street, the year was marked by a series of cases that shocked the community and highlighted a spectrum of criminality.
A Year of Extreme Violence and Exploitation
Among the first major sentencings of the year, five men were jailed for nearly 80 years combined for a series of violent robberies. Demalji Hadza, Abubaker Al Ezawy, Ali Hassan, Wasim Omar and Mohammed Sharif targeted victims on the gay dating app Grindr, luring some to the Golden Hillock Sports Ground in Sparkbrook. Their ten-month spree, which also included an incident in Derby, netted them over £100,000.
The community of Perry Hall was left reeling after the murder of Michael Obasi, 38. Found by a dog walker in the playing fields, he had been robbed and killed for less than £500. Six defendants, including three teenagers, were convicted. Manuel Filipache, Ion Morar, Ion Calin and the youths received life sentences with minimum terms ranging from nine to 29 years.
In a senseless act of road rage that rocked Yardley, Abdirahman Ibrahim deliberately rammed 22-year-old e-biker Liam Jones from his vehicle, causing fatal injuries. Ibrahim, who claimed he wanted to teach the victim a lesson for 'showboating', was convicted of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 22 years.
Betrayal, Torture and Historic Abuse
The seedy underbelly of historic child exploitation was exposed with the jailing of Paul Doyle, 65, and Anthony Bayliss, 78. Doyle ran escort agencies that pimped out underage girls in the 1990s, while retired schools inspector Bayliss, posing as a TV producer, paid for sex with 'young and skinny' girls. Bayliss was jailed for nine and a half years for rape, and Doyle for six and a half years.
In a case of horrific domestic cruelty, Raju Mollah poured hot cooking oil over his wife Mosammed Mumtaz during a row. She suffered devastating burns, and despite Mollah's claims of an accident, she whispered to paramedics: 'my husband tried to kill me'. He was convicted of attempted murder.
A sadistic couple, Imaan Coley and her boyfriend Mohammed Khan, subjected two vulnerable women to months of torture. Their victims were beaten, starved, forced to drink bleach, set on fire, and in one ultimate act of humiliation, made to drink urine. Declared 'dangerous', Coley was jailed for 14 years and Khan for 11 years.
Unusual Crimes and Community Alarm
One of the strangest cases involved obsessive stalker Peter Windsor, 61, from Handsworth. He harassed popstar Myleene Klass and her colleague Katie Breathwick for months, sending bizarre gifts including an air pistol, spiked running shoes, and letters expressing a desire to 'paddle' with them in Buckingham Palace lake. Windsor, who has schizophrenia, was convicted of stalking.
The phrase 'assassin' entered a Birmingham courtroom with the trial of American Aimee Betro, 45. Hired to kill Aslat Mahumad amid a family rivalry, her plot failed spectacularly. Disguised in a niqab, her gun jammed when she confronted Mahumad's son. She later shot at the empty house before fleeing to the US, leading to an international manhunt. Betro was convicted of conspiracy to murder and jailed for 30 years.
A case that sparked national outrage involved asylum seeker Mohammed Wahid Mohammed. The Syrian national, working illegally at Villa Supermarket in Handsworth, groomed and raped a 12-year-old runaway girl in a room above the shop. He was declared a 'dangerous' offender and sentenced to 12 years with an extended licence.
Every parent's worst nightmare was realised when Mohammed Abdulraziq, 32, snatched a five-year-old girl from a Winson Green street to sexually assault her in his HMO. The child's mother found her after hearing cries. Abdulraziq was convicted of false imprisonment with intent to commit a sexual offence and sexual assault.
Youth Violence and Gang Legacy
The deadly legacy of Birmingham's gang rivalries resurfaced with the killing of 16-year-old Sekou Doucoure, a once-promising footballer. He was stabbed to death by Ishmael Farquharson on the forecourt of an Esso petrol station in Nursery Road, in a confrontation rooted in postcode gang tensions. Farquharson was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 22 years.
In Solihull, 17-year-old Reuben Higgins was chased and stabbed to death in a vape shop. Abdurrahman Summers, 19, a convicted serial robber, showed no remorse, telling the victim's family 'I'm still breathing' as he was sentenced to life with a minimum of 19 years. Two 15-year-olds were also given life sentences.
Perhaps the most sobering case involved a 13-year-old schoolgirl who stabbed a fellow female pupil in the neck at school. The court heard the defendant had been bullied and subjected to homophobic abuse. She yelled 'die b****' during the attack and later told teachers: 'I didn’t want her to survive. I wanted to kill her.' She was found guilty of wounding with intent and will be sentenced in 2026.
These cases, spanning murder, exploitation, and extraordinary cruelty, defined a year in Birmingham's justice system that was as busy as it was profoundly troubling.
