Eleven convicted of killing teenage pal of Manchester terror bomber Salman Abedi
Eleven people face jail after being convicted in connection with the bloody gangland killing of a boyhood pal of Manchester terror bomber Salman Abedi.
Abdulwahab Hafidah, 18, was stabbed to death and then run over in a car driven by one of the baying mob in front of rush-hour motorists in Manchester in May 2016.
Ten men and a boy now face lengthy sentences behind bars after the second of two murder trials concluded today.
Shocking CCTV footage shows the moment Mr Hafidah was chased by a gang through south Manchester - moments later he was run over by a car driving by one of the gang and stabbed in the neck.
Mr Hafidah, nicknamed Lansky, was a childhood friend of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi.
He died because of his association with a Rusholme-based street gang suspected of attacking young men from the Moss Side area.
Following the conviction of ten young men and a 14-year-old boy for his killing, Mr Hafidah's family paid tribute to him as a ‘loving, son, brother and uncle’ who was ‘selfless’.
Mr Hafidah was attacked at around 5.15pm on May 12, 2016 - at a time when he was suspected of a bat attack on Durrell Ford, from the Moss Side faction.
When Ford and his pals learnt he had strayed into their territory, they ‘herded’ him on foot, on bikes and in cars, jurors in two criminal trials were told.
The victim had tried to hide in a derelict house and behind a large advertising hoarding before running across commuter traffic and trying desperately to get into passing cars.
A passer-by heard him say ‘help me, they’re going to kill me’ moments before he was cornered at Moss Lane East.
He was then rendered helpless by one of the gang, Nathaniel Williams, running him down in a Vauxhall Corsa before Delroy Wright, Durrell Ford, William George, Reanu Walters, Trey Wilson, Durrell Goodall, Devonte Neish, Devonte Cantrill, Remekell Samuels and a 14-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, attacked him.
The victim was punched, kicked, stamped, hit with a hammer and stabbed twice to the neck. He died two days later in hospital.
Eleven defendants denied murder in two trials. Some were found guilty at Manchester Crown Court last month, but these convictions could not be reported until a connected trial in Preston had been concluded.
Now, following the end of both trials, it can be reported that Devonte Cantrill, 20, of no fixed address; Delroy Wright, 18, of no fixed address; Durrell Ford, 20, of Darncombe Close, Moss Side; Nathanial Jermaine Williams, 19, of Hebburn Walk, Rusholme; Reanu Walters, 19, of Greame Street, Moss Side; Trey Wilson, 19, of Oakfield Avenue, Whalley Range; and Durrell Goodall, 20, of Kings Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, have all been found guilty of murder.
Devonte Neish, 18, of Nell Lane, Chorlton; William George, 21, of Cowesby Street, Moss Side; and a 14-year-old boy who can’t be named for legal reasons, were found guilty of manslaughter.
Remekell Samuels, 19, of Caythorpe Street, Moss Side, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
In a statement, Mr Hafidah’s family said: “Abdulwahab was a loving son, brother and uncle. He was selfless, putting everyone before himself.
They added: “We are consumed by the sadness and emptiness we feel knowing we will never see him again, but we will never forget him. His passing has left a void in our family that can never be replaced.
“We do not hate those involved, but we hate what they have done. They have not only taken Abdulwahab’s life at a time when he had so much to live for; they have ruined our lives as well as theirs and their families.”
Detective Chief Inspector Terry Crompton of GMP’s Major Incident Team said:
He added: “Moss Side is a supportive and close-knit community; incidents like this do not represent the majority of the community".> “I hope that today’s convictions show that with violence and knife crime there are no winners, and we need to stand together as a community to ensure incidents like this one don’t happen ever again.”