COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

A murder investigation has been launched after three people were killed “doing the job of the police” during widespread rioting.



Keen amateur boxer Haroon Jahan, 21, and two brothers were hit by a speeding car in Birmingham in the early hours of this morning,

Officers have arrested a 32-year-old man in connection with the deaths and a car has also been recovered.

Tariq Jahan, the father of Haroon, told how he desperately tried to revive his son as he waited for medics to arrive.

“I didn't see it (the fatal incident) with my own eyes. I was round the corner... I heard the car coming at high speed.

“Then we heard the bang and I heard the commotion with the people. I ran towards the commotion and the first guy I found was someone I didn't know.

“I started giving him CPR until somebody pointed out that the guy behind me was my son on the floor.

“Then I swapped positions and started giving him CPR. All the street were out and basically he was looking out for the whole community.”

Police said he incident happened in the Winson Green area of the city at about 1am this morning.

According to witnesses, the car, containing up to three passengers, hit the three men at around 50mph but did not stop.

Locals said the victims, who were aged between 20 and 31, were part of a group who had gathered to protect local shops used by all sections of the community.

The father of a man allegedly murdered while trying to defend businesses from looters has urged those involved in unrest to “calm down and go home”.



Haroon Jahan, 21, died alongside two brothers after being hit by a car on Dudley Road in the Winson Green area of Birmingham in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The two other victims have been named locally as Shezad Ali and Abdul Musavir.

Haroon’s father, Tariq, said: “Last night we lost three cherished members of our community.

“They were taken from us in a way that no father, mother, sister or brother should have to endure.

“Today we stand here to plead with all the youth to remain calm (and) for our communities to stand united. This is not a race issue.

“Blacks, Asians, whites – we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill each other?

“I lost my son. Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home.”

He also called for witnesses and said people should have faith in the police.

But after he spoke, some tension erupted and onlookers began shouting, upset about what had happened in the area.

Mr Jahan climbed onto a van and called for order. “Have some respect,” he said. “I have lost a son. Don’t kick off again.”

Birmingham riots: Two charged with Winson Green murders

Two people have been charged with the murder of three men who were hit by a car while guarding shops from looters in Birmingham.

A 17-year-old male from Winson Green and Joshua Donald, 26, from Ladywood, have been charged with three counts of murder each.

The pair are due to appear before Birmingham magistrates on Sunday.

A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said a 16-year-old boy and a 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder had been bailed pending further inquiries.

Two other men aged 23 and 27 who were arrested on Friday remain in police custody.

Police in Birmingham have released footage of people firing shots at lines of police officers during the riots.

The CCTV pictures also show the suspects aiming at a police helicopter.

In a press conference, Chief Constable Chris Sims from West Midlands Police said events on the night of August 9 were much more complex than just looting and rioting.

He said there had been a “concerted and organised attempt” to kill or injure police officers by a masked and hooded group of 30 to 40 people in the Newtown area of the city.

They caused extensive damage to the Barton Arms pub and other premises in the area.

As police arrived at the scene earlier this month, petrol bombs were thrown at a marked police car at around 11.50pm.

Eleven shots were also fired at police and at a force helicopter, as officers attempted to disperse the group.

No officers were injured.

Mr Sims said: “Releasing footage that is so disturbing in nature is an unusual step for us as a force, however, the potential for serious harm, or worse, in this incident has led us to this decision.

“Eleven shots were fired at unarmed officers to enable disorder to continue, whilst petrol bombs were also thrown at officers who initially attended the scene.”

Detectives, forensic and ballistic experts, along with local officers, have trawled CCTV footage and made house-to-house inquiries.

More than 500 people have been arrested in connection with the violence and disorder in the city so far.

Four people have been charged with the murders of three men who were hit by a car while protecting shops from looters.

Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, were killed on a street in the Winson Green area in the early hours on August 10.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met the parents of the three victims on Friday.

Mr Sims said he had been “overwhelmed” by the support from the public but would now like them to focus on these shooting incidents and to provide information where they can.

West Midlands Police can be contacted on 0345 113 5000 or you can ring the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Six jailed for riots police attack



Five men and a teenage boy have been given lengthy jail terms for a "concerted attack on the police" in which officers and a force helicopter were shot at during last summer's riots.

A judge said it was only luck that nobody was struck by bullets in the disorder and described the potential consequences of the police helicopter being brought down by gunfire as "catastrophic". Police said they could have been dealing with a murder inquiry.

Jermaine Lewis, 27, Nicholas Francis, 26, Wayne Collins, 25, and Renardo Farrell and Tyrone Laidley, both 20, were part of a gang that petrol bombed a Birmingham pub in a ploy to lure police to the scene. All five were convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, reckless arson and riot. Amirul Rehman, 17, was convicted of riot and possession of a firearm.

A six-week trial heard that the defendants were part of a group of 41 men - mostly masked and wearing hoods - who were rioting outside The Bartons Arms in Aston on the evening of August 9.

The landmark pub was broken into, ransacked and set ablaze, while four members of staff were in living quarters upstairs. A specialist police unit of around 30 unarmed officers deployed to the scene was pelted with missiles before at least 12 shots were fired.

Dramatic CCTV footage released by police shows a large group of men - some armed with baseball bats - gathered outside the pub throwing things into the road, and smashing windows. One man - said by the prosecution to be Laidley - can be seen taking aim at the police helicopter with a handgun.

Sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge William Davis QC said: "The common purpose was to behave in such a way that the police would come to the scene and then to attack the police.

"The intention was to endanger life. Although no physical injury was suffered, that was wholly a matter of luck. Had the police helicopter been struck, the consequences could have been catastrophic."

Francis, from Great Barr, Birmingham, was described by the judge as "clearly a dangerous man" and jailed for 30 years. Lewis of Summerton Road, Oldbury, West Midlands, and Laidley of Nechells, Birmingham, were each sentenced to 23 years.

Farrell, of Finchfield, Wolverhampton and Collins, of Ouseley Close, Luton, Bedfordshire, were both jailed for 18 years. Rehman was jailed for 12 years.