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MIDLAND VOICE
Asian Voice - Saturday 28th July 2012
Gang of three who terrorised jewellery shops jailed Three members of an armed robbery gang which terrorised jewellers in a series of raids have been jailed. Leicester Crown Court heard masked men wielded hammers, axes, a samurai sword and knives as they targeted three jewellery stores in the city's Golden Mile. The gang planned the raids in detail, spying on the shops beforehand, buying cheap getaway vehicles and using an accomplice to pose as a customer to get the security door open. The rest of the gang would then rush into the stores, threatening staff and smashing display cabinets. Last Friday, Zaid Pervez (22) was jailed for 10 years and Mohammed Miah (24) and Qasim Sultan (19) were both jailed for nine years. The sentences were welcomed by business people in the Golden Mile. Bihesh Pala, owner of Alanka Jewellers, in Melton Road, which was targeted in one of the robberies, said: "It was a very traumatic incident
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Zaid Pervez
Mohammed Miah
for everyone who was in the shop at the time. Very frightening. This is the kind of result we had been hoping for." Ratilal Govind, Belgrave Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator and chairman of the Jewellers of the Golden Mile group, said: "Everyone is happy at this outcome. We worked hard with police during their investigation. These were awful crimes, so we are happy the perpetrators have been caught and punished." David Herbert, prosecuting, said during yesterday's hearing that the gang, from Birmingham, first struck at the Alankar Jewellers on January 1, 2011. He said: "They threatened the terrified victims, ushering them into a back room while they smashed glass dis-
Qasim Sultan
play cabinets. They got away with jewellery worth ÂŁ43,500." He said they struck again at Sunny Jewellers, in Belgrave Road, on January 29, and escaped with jewellery. "Sultan hit one of the shop staff with an axe. Fortunately, the injuries were limited to severe bruising." The gang was arrested in Birmingham but were released on bail. Mr Herbert said they struck again at Naran Jewellers, in Melton Road, on March 29. Staff pressed the panic button and an antitheft device filled the shop with dense smoke before the gang fled empty-handed. The gang then raided a shop in A y l e s b u r y , Buckinghamshire, on May 9, taking jewellery
Sarah Wilkes
worth ÂŁ30,000. Pervez, of Fallows Road, Sparkbrook, was convicted of four counts of conspiracy. His lawyer, Gerry Bermingham, said: "He has fallen into bad company." Miah, of Foxcote Drive, Shirley, and Sultan, of Benton Avenue, Sparkbrook, pleaded guilty to the same charges. Zaheer Afzal, for Miah, said his client had committed the crimes to pay off illegal money lenders "who attacked him". Mohammed Amir Riaz, for Sultan, said: "He just went along with the others." Sarah Wilkes (41) of Foxcote Drive, Shirley, pleaded guilty to a charge relating to the robbery in Aylesbury and will be sentenced at a later date
Birmingham riot deaths were 'terrible accident' Eight men have been found not guilty of murdering three friends during last summer's riots in Birmingham. Haroon Jahan, 20, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, died on 10 August after being hit by a car in Winson Green. Appealing for calm after the verdicts, Mr Justice Flaux told Birmingham Crown Court: "On any view, this has been a terrible case - a tragic and pointless loss of three young lives. "However, by their verdicts the jury have decided that this was not a deliberate killing, that there was no plan to kill these three young men. The jury have decided that this was a terrible accident." CCTV footage of the crash had formed the centre piece of the prosecution, with the prosecution claiming it showed an orchestrated three-car "chariot charge" which had been planned minutes before. But the eight defendants denied there had been any such plan. The jury was told the CCTV footage could not in itself be regarded as proof of murder, but the Crown pointed to other circumstantial evidence which it claimed supported its case. Prosecutors said the
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Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir died in hospital
destruction of a mobile phone, CCTV film of vehicle movements in nearby streets and a hand signal from one of the cars was evidence of a plan hatched during a three-minute "window" before the
deaths. But this was described as implausible speculation by the three men driving the cars, Ian Beckford, 30, of Quinton, Adam King, 24, of no fixed address; and Joshua Donald, 27, of
Ladywood. The men and their passengers described the allegations of a murderous plan as "ridiculous" and "utter rubbish". The crowd on the streets had gathered to protect local businesses and homes that had been targeted by looters the previous evening. Defence lawyer Paul Lewis QC had told the court the collision happened when the three cars involved came "under serious attack" from the crowd. The defence also claimed the crowd were masked and armed with
Birmingham car hire businessman who loaned to crooks is jailed A man who ran a car rental business exclusively for crooks has been jailed for two years. Mohammed Afran had a fleet of 21 cars that he loaned to criminals – and even reported them stolen when they were seized by police. He and his accomplice – both on benefits – raked in more than ÂŁ5,000 a month from their dodgy dealings, with Afran keeping tabs of his transactions in a school book belonging to his stepdaughter. But the 30-year-old, from Washwood Heath, was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court after he admitted offences including laundering more than ÂŁ90,000, perverting the course of justice and fraud. His partner-in-crime, Mohammed Salam, 31, and also from Washwood Heath, was handed a 12month community order for his part in the scam. After sentencing, Sgt David Wilson, from Birmingham East Police, said: “Both these men were gathering considerable wealth through their criminal activity, while at the same time defrauding the Department for Work and Pensions out of thousands of pounds every year. They were both committing and facilitating
crime within Washwood Heath. Their blatant disregard for the law was only exacerbated by Afran using his step-daughter’s school book to conceal their criminal activity, which is particularly deplorable. Afran and Salam have wriggled and squirmed to avoid justice for 18 months within the court system, altering pleas, changing solicitors multiple times and lying repeatedly. Hopefully they will now realise crime does not pay.� The pair were brought to justice when five addresses were raided in March 2010 and more than £55,000 was recovered. Afran was said by the court to have benefited to the tune of £58,000 but no longer has any remaining assets after police seized all the vehicles.
bricks, sticks and, in one case, a sword. Mr Beckford, who was driving the Mazda which hit the men, had told jurors only a "monster" would have deliberately driven at them. "I was just frightened, I just wanted to get
past the group, that's all I wanted to do," he said. “I could not just drive my car into people and kill them. I haven't got it in me to do something like that. I wouldn't do something like that, not in a million years I wouldn't."
Mohammed Afran
Birmingham travel agent faces jail over religious holidays fraud A rogue travel agent is facing a jail sentence after being convicted of fraud and ruining customers’ religious pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia. Saleem Akhtar was prosecuted after trading standards officers received complaints about problems during a couple’s ÂŁ5,600 Hajj trip to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Victim Mohamed Mughal told Birmingham Magistrates’ Court he was forced to “sleep under the starsâ€? when a coach ferrying him and his wife around left without them. He also com-
plained that the length of their trip was shortened and said they were forced to share a hotel room with four strangers. The court heard a trading standards probe into Akhtar’s Alum Rock-based travel firm, Embassy Express Ltd, revealed he was flouting consumer protection rules by pretending he was covered by Air Travel Organisers Licensing, which protects travellers on package holidays. He was found guilty of two counts of fraud, two of breaching package tour regulations, and seven of using the ATOL logo
contrary to consumer protection from unfair trading regulations. Akhtar was cleared of one charge of breaching package travel, holidays and tour rules. District Judge Sham Qureshi warned he could be jailed for up to a year when he is sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on August 17. Giving evidence, Akhtar, 44, of Stockingstone Road, Luton, said: “I am a Muslim and believe what you do in this life you live to reap in your next. I would never try to rip off another Muslim. I
Saleem Akhtar, owner of Alum Rock based Embassy Express Ltd
swear I had no intention of obtaining money by any kind of deception.� Thousands of pilgrims travel to Mecca from the West Midlands each year for the Hajj,
which is one of the five pillars of Islam. After the case, trading standards bosses urged any travellers who felt cheated to make contact.