Teen Found Guilty Of Murder Outside Birmingham College

12 July 2019, 18:34 | Updated: 12 July 2019, 18:35

A teenager's been found guilty of murdering Sidali Mohamed, after he was stabbed outside a college in Birmingham earlier this year.

17-year-old Laoui Ali stabbed Sidali in the chest in broad daylight outside Joseph Chamberlain College on 13 February.

The court was shown CCTV of Ali travelling by bus from his home in Highgate to the college.

It tracked him getting off the bus, and heading to the side of the college where he put a mask on.

He is then seen hanging around outside the college gates, as he waits for the 16-year-old.

As Sidali left college, he passed Ali and headed over to his friends before heading back towards Ali.

After an exchange of words, Ali lunged forward and punched Sidali before stabbing him in front of horrified students.

Sidali staggered away and collapsed inside the college grounds where staff battled to save him. He was rushed to hospital where he sadly died of his injuries two days later.

The 17-year-old aspiring boxer was on bail for another wounding that had taken place in Highgate in December 2018 when he and an accomplice stabbed a man in the arm as he walked down the street.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court found Ali guilty of murder. 

He was also found guilty of stabbing another student during the same incident, but cleared of stabbing a security guard.

He was found guilty of the unrelated wounding and possession of an offensive weapon from December. 

Ali was found not guilty of making threats with an offensive weapon, as part of the December incident.

He will be sentenced on Monday and faces life imprisonment.

In a statement, Sidali’s family said this afternoon: “Sidali was an amazing son, brother, cousin, nephew and a fantastic friend. Sidali was an ambitious young man with his whole life ahead of him. Sidali’s death has left a huge void in our family.

"We hope this conviction will serve as a lesson to those young people who are involved in knife crime. Sidali will always be remembered as our happy little boy who brought joy and happiness amongst his family and friends. Sidali will always remain in our hearts and his legacy will live on."

Supt Edward Foster, who led the investigation, said: “Ali was already on bail after he was involved in a stabbing in December, but still chose to carry a knife.

“It is always a choice to carry a knife and I cannot stress enough the dangers and implications it can have. In this case, that decision on both occasions has ruined many people’s lives and traumatised many young people who witnessed a truly horrific attack.

“My thoughts remain with Sidali’s family and friends at this difficult time.

“West Midlands Police is committed to working to deter young people from carrying knives and have recently launched Project Guardian which is aimed at educating young people and combatting youth violence.

“As a force we cannot prevent youth violence alone. We need parents, community leaders, schools and young people themselves to pass on the message that it is never ok to carry or use a knife."