'It haunts us': Family of man stabbed to death in Leicester pay tribute as four convicted of murder

The family of a man who was stabbed to death in an “extremely violent” attack in Leicester say they are “tormented” at the thought of what he endured.

Abdirahim Mohamed, 18, died in hospital on Thursday 9 September last year after being stabbed in Melbourne Street, Leicester, on the previous evening.

Four men, Rizwan Gul, 26, Mohammed Hansrod, 30, Israfeel Gul, 28, and Zakir Brant, 26, were all convicted of Mr Mohamed’s murder on Tuesday following a trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Daniel Pollard, 30, and Bhavic Parmar, 26, were found guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Mohamed. They were found not guilty of murder.

Mr Mohamed's family said the horror of Mr Mohamed's death "haunts us" and they are "tormented" at the thought of what he endured.

“It is difficult for us as a family to express our feeling of loss and the thought of never being able to see Abdirahim again, ever talk to him again or ever hold him again," they said in a statement.

“Abdirahim died in the most horrendous of circumstances. As a family we are tormented at the thought of what he endured. He was outnumbered by men much older than him and was unable to defend himself. There was no-one to rescue him.

“The thought of this is unbearable and the horror of it haunts us. There is no comfort to be had, there is no consoling thought for us in the way that Abdirahim died.

“It is too painful for us to contemplate a future without Abdirahim. Our lives will never be the same again. For us, Abdirahim will never be forgotten and he will always be remembered with boundless love.”

Leicestershire Police said they received a number of calls at around 11.44pm on Wednesday 8 September last year, reporting a fight in the area of Melbourne Street.

Mr Mohamed was found shortly afterwards by officers, with seven stab wounds.

He was taken to hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead at 1.21am the following day.

A murder investigation was launched by police, with a number of complex inquiries carried out including forensic examination, CCTV analysis and inquiries into phones and vehicle movements.

Detectives established Mr Mohamed had been in the Melbourne Street area on 8 September. An Audi vehicle arrived in the area where a number of men got out of the vehicle and chased him.

Following the attack, which was not captured on CCTV, the men made their way to Kent Street after losing the key to the Audi vehicle. A Ford Mondeo picked them up from the area.

Members of the public came out to help Mr Mohamed while paramedics arrived at the scene. Mr Mohamed was taken to hospital by ambulance where he died a short time later.

Police believe the attack was carried out following a previous incident involving Mr Mohamed and some of the defendants.

As the investigation progressed, charges were made in connection with Mr Mohamed’s death.

Fahad Ali Saleem, 26, was found guilty of assisting an offender in connection with the incident. Muhamad Firoz Khan, 34, had previously pleaded guilty to assisting an offender.

Abdul Suleman, 59, was found not guilty of murder and not guilty of manslaughter following the trial. Adam Brant, 29, and Khatib Gul, 58, were found not guilty of assisting an offender.

Rizwan Gul, of no fixed address; Hansrod, of Dulverton Road, Leicester; Israfeel Gul, of New Way Road, Leicester; Zakir Brant, of Bale Road, Leicester; Pollard, of Calder Road, Leicester; Parmar, of Bowling Green Street, Leicester; Saleem, of Frederick Street, Leicester; and Khan, of Apollo Court, Leicester, have all now been remanded into custody.

They are due to be sentenced on Friday 11 November.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Tony Yarwood, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “This was an extremely violent and planned attack on an 18-year-old man which took away his life. My thoughts remain with Mr Mohamed’s family at this time who have suffered unimaginable pain and loss.

“These convictions have only happened thanks to support from our communities and the work of our dedicated response and investigation teams.

“Public information was vital in helping us to progress our enquiries and to find those responsible for Mr Mohamed’s death. Thank you to those of you who worked with us and supported us during the investigation by providing this information to us.

“Sadly, today’s verdict is yet another example of a young life being lost due to knife crime.”