Carl Jackson

Salah Barzi, a 30-year-old Syrian refugee, pleaded guilty to making threats with a knife after confronting and chasing Reuben Davis near Heron Foods on Erdington High Street on February 27, 2026. The incident occurred in front of bystanders, including children, and ended when Barzi fled into a mosque, where police later recovered the knife. Birmingham Crown Court sentenced him to 18 months in prison. The court heard that Barzi had no previous UK convictions, had fled Syria in 2021, secured asylum in 2024 and was studying when the incident occurred.

Samad Hussain, 32, was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting five assaults against his estranged wife, criminal damage to her phone and cannabis possession. The attacks followed her attempts to obtain a divorce and included punching, slapping, kicking, hair-pulling, pushing her down stairs and striking her head against a radiator. The court heard that Hussain also subjected her to verbal abuse and smashed her phone with a hammer. His barrister cited mental-health difficulties after a 2022 car accident and alcohol and cannabis use as mitigating factors, but the judge said the repeated offending, including offences committed while on bail, required immediate imprisonment.

Imran Khan, 40, is on trial at Birmingham Crown Court accused of fatally stabbing 28-year-old Hozar Ali in Winson Green on February 23 after an argument over money. Prosecutors allege Khan confronted Ali, who was recovering from flu at a nearby woman’s home, verbally abused him and pursued the confrontation onto the street. Ali died from a chest wound that severed an artery. Prosecutors also claim Khan later tried to divert police attention by blaming an uninvolved man known as Khaled. Khan denies murder and possessing a knife in public; the weapon has not been recovered, and the trial is continuing.

Prosecutors told Birmingham Crown Court that Chereiss Bailey was violently attacked and strangled at John Anslow's home before her body was placed in a wheelchair, taken to a canal in West Bromwich and weighed down with paving slabs. Anslow denies murder but has pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body. His daughter, Hayley-marie Ferguson, denies the burial-related charge and assisting an offender by disposing of evidence, saying she acted under threat from her father. The prosecution says CCTV shows both defendants moving Bailey's body toward the canal; the trial is continuing.

Mohammed Ali, 30, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to four years and six months in prison after admitting two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. He was involved in more than 3,000 County Lines deals between June of the previous year and May, and continued operating the drug line after smashing a phone and removing its SIM card during a police raid. Further phones, more than £3,600 in cash and a drug testing kit were later seized. The court heard that Ali’s father’s addiction and abandonment of the family influenced his path into drug dealing, but the judge found no genuine remorse and treated his difficult upbringing only as a limited mitigating factor.

Jordan Kane, 27, was arrested at Birmingham Airport after arriving from Thailand with 17 packages containing more than 18 kilograms of cannabis valued at over £500,000. He initially denied knowing about the drugs but later admitted packing them, while refusing to identify the person who allegedly ordered him to transport them because he feared reprisals. Having spent time on remand, Kane pleaded guilty to fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on importing a class B drug and received a 21-month suspended sentence, along with up to 25 days of rehabilitation activity. The court considered his difficult upbringing, ADHD, lack of previous convictions and claims that he had been coerced.

Selina Begum, 24, from Frankley, pleaded guilty to two charges of dishonestly failing to tell the Department for Work and Pensions that two children had been removed from her care while she was receiving Universal Credit. Birmingham Magistrates’ Court adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report after a probation-service assessment, with sentencing scheduled for later in the year. Begum was granted bail and told to remain in contact with probation services.

An 85-year-old Chelmsley Wood woman, Dorothy Ford, was found not guilty of three racially aggravated assaults against a pregnant neighbour after a jury deliberated for 38 minutes. The allegations included striking the neighbour with a shopping trolley, throwing warm water at her and her children, and closing a door on her baby bump. Recorder Clodaghmuire Callinan acknowledged the case’s significant impact and the lengthy delay in reaching court. Ford left in tears, thanked the jurors and was awarded travel costs.

Birmingham Magistrates’ Court ordered the three-month closure of a High Street building in Harborne after West Midlands Police discovered potentially vulnerable women at the premises and suspected that sexual services were being provided. Police are investigating a possible brothel operation and human trafficking, following earlier council concerns about unlicensed massage advertising. The landlord, David Si Chen, and the premises’ representative argued that only the upper floors should be closed so the Heloca acupuncture clinic could remain open, but magistrates approved the full closure. The criminal investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.

Mohammed Bostan, 40, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to two years and five months in prison after admitting affray and assault following an eight-year campaign of harassment against a couple living opposite him at Studley Tower in Highgate. The court heard that he repeatedly entered their flat, threatened the family, poured bleach and petrol over their door, and attempted to force entry while wearing a ski mask and accompanied by a man with a knife. In a separate January incident, one of several men outside the tower block struck the male victim with a sharp object. The judge described the offending as serious and longstanding, ordered immediate custody and imposed a restraining order banning Bostan from contacting the couple.

Taxi driver Sorif Uddin, 28, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and strangulation after whipping his wife with a belt and later choking her during two incidents in 2024. The victim recorded parts of the abuse and reported suffering anxiety, depression and suicidal feelings. Uddin denied the allegations in police interviews but later expressed remorse. He was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for three years, ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a relationship-skills programme, and prohibited from contacting the victim for seven years.

A former West Midlands Police worker has described two years of coercive control and severe domestic abuse by her former husband, Mohammad Mostafa, including strangulation while she was pregnant and an assault during labour. She urged other victims to seek help and raised awareness of Clare's Law. Mostafa, who also dealt cocaine, admitted controlling and coercive behaviour, intentional strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. Birmingham Crown Court sentenced him to five years and two months in prison and imposed a 17-year restraining order.

Two Birmingham teenagers, Mohammed Iqbal and Zakariya Hussain, are on trial accused of raping a female escort after entering a Birmingham flat armed with zombie knives. Both have admitted robbery and false imprisonment of a male escort but deny the rape charges. Prosecutors allege they targeted the male escort as an easy victim and subjected both individuals to a two‑hour ordeal involving humiliation and sexual violence, including recording demeaning videos. The defence is expected to argue that sexual activity with the female escort was consensual and occurred before the robbery. The trial is ongoing.

A Birmingham bouncer, Richard Deakin, was found guilty of manslaughter for fatally punching fellow security worker Joshua Johnson-Hector outside the Savanna cocktail bar. Evidence revealed unlicensed security work, workplace tensions, and prior disputes between the men. Deakin claimed self-defence, but CCTV showed the victim had not thrown a punch. Johnson-Hector suffered fatal brain injuries after falling and hitting his head. The victim’s family condemned Deakin and highlighted Johnson-Hector’s professionalism, while sentencing was scheduled for October.

Prosecutors at Birmingham Crown Court alleged that Emma Williams attempted to kill a boy by tampering with his medication after making internet searches about harmful substances to mix with it. The prosecution argued the actions were deliberate, repeated and planned, claiming she was caught in the act and offered no credible explanation. Williams denies attempted murder, and the trial is ongoing.

A Birmingham mother, Lisa Harbun, avoided immediate imprisonment after committing 41 shop raids and multiple assaults during a year‑long theft spree driven by drug addiction. Birmingham Crown Court imposed an 18‑month suspended sentence with rehabilitation requirements and a two‑year Criminal Behaviour Order restricting her access to several retail areas. The judge cited her pregnancy, recent engagement with drug services, and the potential harm incarceration would cause to her children as key factors. Harbun had stolen thousands of pounds in goods, resisted arrest violently, and caused significant losses to retailers. The court warned she risks prison if she breaches any terms going forward.

A 61‑year‑old woman received a three‑year‑nine‑month prison sentence after stabbing her former son‑in‑law in the neck and damaging his van in what the judge described as a revenge‑driven attack. She confronted him at a friend’s home shortly after his separation from her daughter, inflicted a puncture wound with a concealed knife and later admitted she intended to punish him over a financial dispute. Prosecutors accepted a plea to wounding with intent rather than attempted murder, and the defendant expressed remorse in a letter read to the court.

A Birmingham man, Amir Khan, an undocumented immigrant who entered the UK in a lorry, was sentenced to 30 years in prison plus six years on licence for attempting to murder his wife, Madia Bano, who remains in a coma with catastrophic brain injuries. Khan, who refused to provide an explanation or evidence during his trial, was criticised by the judge for dishonesty and lack of accountability. His victim’s condition leaves her close to death, and the case could become a murder inquiry if life‑sustaining treatment is withdrawn.

Stephen Dale was sentenced to 19 years in prison, with an additional extended licence period, for killing Daniel Gardner by setting fire to his Highters Heath flat. Dale, motivated by grievances tied to his relationship with Gardner’s former partner, ignited petrol at the victim’s door, leaving Gardner unable to escape. Accomplice Tyler Phythian received a four‑year sentence for arson and a separate assault. Judge Andrew Smith KC noted there was no evidence supporting Dale’s claims about Gardner’s treatment of his children and emphasised the terror the victim experienced before his death.

A court sentenced Theo Bailey to 22 years for manslaughter and perverting the course of justice in the machine‑gun killing of gang member Gavin Parry in Winson Green. Judges ruled Bailey anticipated Parry’s return and prepared for a violent confrontation, later lying to police and removing CCTV footage. The unidentified gunman remains at large, while both weapons used are believed to have re‑entered circulation. Defence arguments highlighted Bailey’s mental‑health issues and lack of control over the shooter, but the court concluded he knowingly facilitated the fatal ambush.

A Birmingham man, Craig Billingsley, was jailed for three years after admitting manslaughter for injecting his girlfriend, nurse Natalie Lloyd-Perks, with heroin following a night of drinking and cocaine use. Lloyd-Perks, introduced to heroin during their relationship, died from a heroin overdose worsened by alcohol and cocaine. Billingsley initially confessed at the scene but denied responsibility until the start of his trial. Emotional statements from Lloyd-Perks’ mother described the impact of her death, while the judge cited the seriousness of the offense and Billingsley’s delayed admission despite acknowledging his remorse.

A police map illustrating rival gang territories in north Birmingham highlights continuing violence linked to successor groups of the historic Burger Bar Boys and Johnson Crew. The article details the murder of Yassin Alama by Oumar Traore during postcode-related conflict and describes how younger, loosely affiliated groups maintain territorial divisions through colours, social media, and violent confrontations. Authorities note that modern gangs operate without full understanding of past conflicts, perpetuating cycles of retaliation that have resulted in multiple deaths and long prison sentences.

A roundup of Birmingham cases from June 2026 details a series of offenders jailed for crimes including fatal negligence by parents, historic child sex abuse, firearms offences, violent assaults, drug trafficking and dangerous driving. Sentences ranged from months to more than 20 years, with several cases involving gang-related shootings, large-scale drug supply, and serious violence. Multiple long-delayed abuse cases resulted in convictions, and several group conspiracies were broken up following police operations across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Four men received sentences totaling more than 50 years for a planned revenge shooting in Moseley that left victim Shakeel Ali with life‑changing injuries and a bullet still lodged in his body. The attack was motivated by a prior dispute and involved trapping Ali’s car, shooting him twice and beating him before fleeing in a second vehicle. Sentences ranged from 13 to 16 years, with all offenders receiving extended licence periods, and police condemned the violence as a serious threat to public safety.

Eight Legia Warsaw fans pleaded guilty to violent disorder outside Villa Park before a Europa Conference League match in November 2023, with a ninth admitting a lesser charge of affray. Legal discussions addressed potential sentences and the feasibility of probation for defendants living in Poland. West Midlands Police had barred away supporters after disorder that left officers injured, resulting in the match being played without visiting fans. Sentencing is scheduled for December 21 at Birmingham Crown Court, with all defendants remaining on bail.

A celebrity masseur, Marcelo Oliveira, was cleared of all sexual assault charges after two trials at Birmingham Crown Court. Juries were unable to reach verdicts on some counts and found him not guilty on others, and prosecutors declined to pursue a third trial, resulting in formal not‑guilty verdicts. The allegations involved inappropriate touching during post‑surgery massages, which Oliveira denied. No convictions were recorded across both trials involving multiple complainants spanning incidents from 2019 to 2021.