18 2009
FORGE PRESS Friday September 18 2009
11
www.forgetoday.com // features@forgetoday.com
FEATURES A timeline of trouble 1. June 7 2008 Carver Street, Sheffield, S1 Brett Blake, 23, is fatally stabbed by fellow S3 members Danny Hockenhull, 24, and Curtis Goring, 27, inside Uniq nightclub. They are both jailed for at least 21 years. The attack is pre-planned in Westways bar on West Street.
Gang-related killing
4
2
3
1
2. July 11 2008 Spital Street, Burngreave, S3 Tarek Chaiboub, 17, is shot dead outside a barber’s shop by fellow members of the S3 gang. Four people are jailed for a combined 110 years for the murder, one of whom is only 17-years-old himself. 3. July 1 2009 Brunswick Street, Broomhall, S10 James Kamara, 22, is killed in a drive-by shooting near the Union of Students. Kamara and a group of friends are shot at from a vehicle which drives off and is later torched. Five men are charged over the shooting. 4. August 28 2009 Scraith Wood Drive, Shirecliffe, S5 Safrajur Rahman Jahangir, 23, is shot dead at close range in his car whilst driving. Four people are remanded in custody in connection with the murder of Jahangir, who owned the Spice Hut takeaway in Hillsborough.
Map: Google Maps He said: “Five years ago in the poor areas of S11, being in gangs was the only way of being safe. Today people are joining gangs after hearing about them and their respect and reputation.” There are two levels to gang membership in Sheffield: smaller groups in certain areas that build their own internal gangs, and then those who have enough people to take on rival gangs from other postcodes. Four S3 gang members, Michael Chattoo, Nigel Ramsey, Denzil Ramsey and Levan Menzies (pictured opposite, left to right), were jailed for a combined 110 years last month for the killing of Chaiboub, which the court heard
Safety fears were raised after a man was shot dead close to the Students’ Union in July was as a result of Blake’s death. The four men -all under 24 years old- showed no remorse as they were sent down, abusing the police and shouting that the S3 boys were “on holiday”. These words have struck fear into many S3 and S4 citizens. Jacqueline Nicholson, the mother of murdered Blake, spoke of her concerns outside court after the sentencing of his killers in February. She said: “It’s a bad situation it’s tense especially in the evenings when you’re in the house on your own you get a bit scared by cars pulling up and noises.” Rattigan explained that his S11 gang was a strong unit after being formed by a group of pals. He said: “It started off as we were all friends and we knew we were safe around each other. “Sharrow at the time didn’t have any problems with surrounding
areas but at a house party once, some guys came and started causing trouble - and there were some confrontations. It escalated from that and we got more and more noticed.” Sheffield residents live in an exceptionally diverse part of the country; from the affluent region of Broomhill, to the more deprived parts such as Burngreave and Pittsmoor. It is these latter areas where many gangs gain momentum. Gangs sometimes target students by accident; mistaking them for other rival members, but can also see them as targets for easy money. “Broomhall and Sharrow had serious problems with each other and there were a couple of times when we mistook students for other gang members,” Rattigan said. “Students normally have a few hundred pounds between them and things often kicked off because we knew they had money. It’s easy to get hold of money from students. “Around Sharrow I knew people who worked hard for their money , but students were on our turf and kicked their weight around.” However, Tom added that telling students to avoid ‘dodgy’ areas will not necessarily help the situation. “If you tell students to ‘stay out of these areas’ then we are just giving these areas more respect,” he said. It is easy to feel like never leaving the house if you read the
newspaper stories about Sheffield’s ‘gang culture’ and various local murder cases. But students do live in a relatively secure part of the city, and as long as obvious safety reminders are followed - such as staying in groups after dark and avoiding unlit areas - then there is no reason to be afraid. It is, after all, usually common sense that stops people getting into trouble.
‘Around Sharrow students were on our turf and kicked their weight about’ Tom Rattigan, former gang member
Many students do live in a ‘bubble’ where they have no idea of what is going on outside of the campus areas of Sheffield. However, this is no major issue. There are gangs and murderers in this city, but for the most part that is a problem for other areas of Sheffield and has not really filtered into the student zones. So don’t panic - if you are sensible, you should be safe.
Brunswick Street, scene of July’s drive by shooting.
Photo: James Walsh