Knife crime was back in the spotlight this week after the Crane nightclub in Digbeth had its licence revoked following the death of Cody Fisher who was stabbed on the premises.
Councillors voted on Tuesday afternoon to revoke the venue’s licence after the death of Mr Fisher, a 23-year-old football player for non-league Stratford Town. He died after being stabbed on the dance floor at the Digbeth venue on Boxing Day.
Cody’s death highlighted the growing issue of knife crime in Birmingham and across the country as a whole.
Lives across the country are needlessly lost through gang violence, with knife crime ruining the lives of families every year, and it’s a continuous problem in our region.
Government figures released in 2022 show that thousands of West Midlands youngsters were convicted or cautioned for knife crimes in just over a decade.
Ministry of Justice figures for West Midlands Police show young people were involved in 3,060 knife crime cases which resulted in cautions or convictions between July 2010 and June 2021, but the true scale of crimes involving children is likely to be higher.
The police work hard to get justice for the families of the victims of knife crime.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the criminals who were jailed for stabbing killings in 2022.
5. Mohammed Tasharat: 11 years for manslaughter
Three men were convicted of manslaughter after a feud between rival groups sparked a series of clashes that led to a man being fatally stabbed. Mohib Tasharat (pictured), Kasim Ifzaal and Ibrahim Raza were among a group of men who chased and killed Bashir Mohamed in the early hours of 22 April 2021. Tasharat was jailed in May 2022 | West Midlands Police
6. Kasim Ifzaal: 10 years for manslaughter
Kasim Ifzaal was given 10 years for the killing of Bashir Mohamed. The feud is believed to have started after a car rammed Bubble Rolls dessert shop in Ladypool Road days earlier. Mr Mohamed was pursued by cars through Birmingham and then chased on foot before being stabbed in the arm. He bled to death at the scene in Ladywood. Ifzaal, 26, was jailed in May 2022 | West Midlands Police
7. Ibrahim Raza: six and a half years for manslaughter
Ibrahim Raza was jailed for six-and-a-half yearsfor his part in Bashir Mohamed’s death. He was also jailed in May | West Midlands Police
8. Mohammed Farouk: life sentence for murder
Two brothers who ambushed and stabbed a man to death in Birmingham were jailed for life with a minimum of 24 years Mohammed Farouk (pictured) and his younger brother Ridhwaan killed Amin Talea, but the motive remains a mystery. They were jailed in May 2022 for the killing | West Midlands Police