Birmingham Crown Court Sentencing Results

Angela Weaver, with Robert Weaver, forced a convicted sex offender living with them in Telford to hand over his benefits and perform unpaid care and household work between June 2015 and October 2019. She threatened to expose his criminal conviction, took his benefits, and restricted his contact with his mother.

Duc Quang Ta was involved in the transport or attempted transport of Vietnamese migrants hidden in lorries on 16 occasions between 18 August and 6 September 2020. He acted as an organiser, matching migrants with lorry crossings and coordinating drivers, safe houses and immigrants. He was arrested on 3 September 2020 after a car stop on the M25 near Leatherhead; police found £55,020 in cash in a plastic bag and a further £1,000 in his pocket. Messages on his phone showed he was heading to Kent to hand cash to co-conspirators who had arranged for migrants to be smuggled in the back of an HGV.

Sarfaraz Sardarzehi assisted with three attempts to transport migrants into the UK between 18 August and 6 September 2020. He was stopped by police in Birmingham on 4 September 2020 while driving a silver Vauxhall Corsa carrying migrants; he initially claimed they wanted a lift but later admitted he knew they were migrants. He was re-arrested in June 2022. The investigation showed he acted as a driver, transporting migrants after they entered the UK and moving cash for the crime group.

Robert Weaver, with Angela Weaver, forced a convicted sex offender living with them in Telford to hand over his benefits and work for them without pay between June 2015 and October 2019. The victim was threatened with exposure of his criminal conviction, made to sleep on the floor, and had debts run up in his name.

Tyler Phythian joined another man in filling a petrol container and travelling to the victim's flat. They poured petrol across the entrance and set it alight, and CCTV captured them running from the scene. The victim was unable to escape and died from his injuries. Phythian was convicted of arson with intent.

John Davies threw a recently boiled kettle of water over a police officer in Birmingham as he tried to resist arrest, causing blistering to her shoulders, back and neck. Officers had been called to a disturbance in the garden of his home, where he had another man cornered against a fence. He punched one officer in the face before scalding the other. Davies admitted maliciously wounding the officer he scalded with intent to resist arrest, assaulting the officer he punched, and assaulting the man he had been arguing with.

Jagger Strang threatened to kill classmates and was found with materials capable of making explosives. He was arrested after reports that he had videos of himself torturing cats and had told fellow college students he carried knives and planned to blow up the college. He showed a classmate photos of homemade weapons, discussed an attack, and shared videos of himself lighting substances in his garden and kitchen. A search of his devices found a manifesto written in 2025 in which he wrote about doing something violent and described admiration for serial killers including the Sandy Hook school shooter. He had told classmates a pressure cooker was all he needed to build a bomb, had tested explosive powders and possessed ingredients for up to 1.3kg of thermite and 320g of gunpowder. A blowpipe he had made and tested was recovered from his home.

Damion Thomas failed to seek timely medical help for his seriously ill son, who had shown symptoms of severe diabetic ketoacidosis for several hours. The child was taken to hospital on 9 December 2022 and died in the early hours of the following day. Expert medical evidence indicated the death would have been preventable with earlier medical attention.

Rizwan Malik, directed via Encrochat, attended an address at Sapphire Heights, Hockley, in April 2020 and handed over three Walther Creed 9mm semi-automatic pistols to Michael Earp, an associate of crime boss Danyal Aziz. The weapons were for use by Aziz's group, which was responsible for distributing large quantities of class A drugs across the West Midlands and beyond. CCTV captured Malik arriving in his van to transfer the firearms.

Clare Davenport, a former detective constable, conspired with others to smuggle contraband into HMP Onley and HMP Gartree using drones throughout 2021 and 2022. Drones carried packages containing Class A and B drugs, tobacco, and mobile phones. One package recovered in August 2021 contained heroin with a prison value of £22,400 and cannabis worth £15,300. Davenport pleaded guilty to the offences.

Sultan Arif, a petrol station worker, was arrested after armed police raided the Gulf petrol station in Saltley, Birmingham, on 15 January 2020. Officers found a sawn-off shotgun loaded with two live cartridges in the boot of a Vauxhall Vectra parked next to the forecourt, along with additional live and spent cartridges. A separate search of the forecourt revealed a loaded revolver with four rounds of ammunition hidden in a bag between two water butts. Police also discovered extra shotgun cartridges concealed on the site and a stun gun hidden inside a fire extinguisher box. Forensic tests linked Arif to the revolver. He admitted possession of the firearm and ammunition. He had a previous conviction for possessing a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition, and police believed he had links to gangs in the Alum Rock and Washwood Heath areas.

On August 13, 2024, RSPCA officers were shown a dead English bulldog named Babaloo by vets. The dog's owner, David Bernard of Hall Green had brought in the body earlier that day. Veterinary staff noted bleeding from the nose, mouth, and anus. Witnesses reported seeing Bernard being physically and verbally aggressive towards the dog the evening before, and he was confronted about it. A post mortem by independent veterinary expert Dr Sean Taylor concluded that the dog died from blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen, causing internal bleeding, liver and kidney injury, and respiratory failure. The dog, though brachycephalic, showed no clinical signs of being adversely affected by the condition prior to the attack. Bernard subsequently pleaded guilty to inflicting blunt force trauma resulting in non-accidental injuries.

Richard Hamilton, 73, of Dawley, Telford, committed a series of child sex offences. On 11 June 2022, at Brynowen Holiday Centre in Borth, he assaulted a girl under 13 by touching. He was later charged with multiple historic sexual offences, including 10 counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, rape of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, assault by penetration, sexual activity with a child, and indecent assault. He faced 20 charges in total.

On the morning of 16 December, Harinderpal Athwal drove his Vauxhall Corsa down Soho Road in Birmingham, swerving into oncoming traffic and mounting the pavement. He struck a 54-year-old man and 47-year-old woman who were walking hand in hand, then hit a parked car. He drove back and struck the man again, leaving him fatally injured, before fleeing. The woman suffered life-changing injuries. Athwal, of Oldbury, was arrested the following day.

James Gray shot a handgun through the windows of a property in Willenhall, in the early hours of 26 May 2025 while a family of five including two children was at home. A second shot struck a car outside. He was convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Sharif Cousins shot a handgun through the windows of a property in Willenhall, in the early hours of 26 May 2025 while a family of five including two children was at home. A second shot struck a car outside. He was convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Razvan Mut carried out a violent 10-minute assault on a man at a property in Handsworth, Birmingham, just after midnight on 11 April 2024, using a metal bar and a knife, stabbing the victim who was found seriously injured and taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition but survived. Mut was arrested at the scene. A member of the public witnessed the attack and called emergency services, bringing it to an end. Detectives from the Major Crime Unit reviewed CCTV footage confirming his responsibility.

Mohammed Ali, 27, drove an Audi A4 at speeds up to 90mph on Soho Road, Birmingham, on 18 February 2024. He dangerously overtook several cars before crashing into the rear of another car, killing a person instantly and leaving another occupant injured. He also collided with a further car, badly injuring that driver. After the crash, he verbally and physically assaulted a police officer at hospital. He later pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court and was jailed for seven years, with a driving ban of four years and six months after release.

On November 12, 2022, in Solihull, West Midlands, Jordan Herring, then 19, pushed his 18-year-old girlfriend out of a window at Merton House tower block after a row fuelled by cannabis and paranoid accusations of cheating. She fell 40ft, landing on grass and sustaining life-changing injuries including a collapsed lung, fractures to her pelvis and ribs, requiring airlift to hospital and multiple surgeries. Prior to the incident, Herring had isolated the victim from her family, locked her in a bedroom, rifled through her phone, and assaulted her, inflicting bruises to her eyes and neck. He had gone on the run with her to hide from her concerned family.

Troy Green, 22, of Soho, covertly recorded over 460 males, including children, in public toilets across Birmingham, such as at Grand Central, Rush trampoline park, churches, licensed premises, university campus, and Wetherspoon at Birmingham Airport where he was employed. He filmed victims urinating or at lavatories without their knowledge. He also targeted children via Snapchat using a false identity to coerce them into performing dares involving exposing themselves, with videos stored in a Google Drive account. Over 500 videos found on his devices. Initial arrest on 21 February 2025 after being observed at university toilets.

Dongping Xiao was encountered by police at a property in Edgbaston on September 30 last year and at a property in Deritend in February this year. Women and items linked to sex work were found at both locations, and Xiao was identified as a 'minder' overseeing their activities. He admitted two counts of keeping a brothel.

Zaynul Shaffi, along with Shahid Khan, made more than 100 hoax 999 calls over 78 days in 2024 and 2025, costing the public £100,000. The calls included false claims of having been shot, drowning a pregnant wife, and abandoning a baby on train tracks. On one occasion in August 2024, a call about a baby left on train tracks prompted a massive police response with nearly 20 vehicles, 30 officers, and a helicopter. The pair used multiple phones and switched accents to avoid detection, and boasted about their crimes on social media.

On July 2, 2025, outside a pub on High Street in Erdington, Birmingham, Herbert Palmer joined Omar Clarke in attacking a victim who had intervened in Clarke's argument with a woman. Palmer participated in the violent assault after Clarke struck the victim with a glass bottle. The incident was captured on CCTV, leading to Palmer's identification and arrest.

On 2 July, Omar Clarke was involved in an altercation outside a Birmingham pub. When the victim attempted to break up a quarrel between Clarke and a woman, Clarke shoved him and struck him over the head with a glass bottle. The attack was captured on CCTV and officers identified Clarke from the footage and local information.

Kamil Gina, a 23-year-old Czech national from Alexander Road, Acocks Green, detained a 14-year-old girl in foster care who was considered high-risk and vulnerable to sexual exploitation. The pair were in a sexual relationship, with Gina supplying her with drugs and alcohol. Despite a child abduction warning notice issued after police attended an incident in July 2025 where he appeared drunk and violent, the girl went missing two days later. Police found her climbing out of his downstairs window and discovered Gina hiding with a self-inflicted neck injury while attempting to evade arrest.

On August 14, 2024, at around 7pm, Bradley Baker, 33, of Birmingham, after drinking and taking drugs, cycled around Sutton Park in broad daylight and deliberately sprayed CS spray into the faces and bodies of four random strangers, causing irritation, burns, and fear of blindness or life-threatening harm. The victims were traumatised, with no idea why they were targeted or what substance was used. Baker collapsed on grassland afterwards and was convicted following a trial.

Varun Datta was found responsible for the illegal dumping of more than 4,275 tonnes of waste across 16 sites in England, including sites in Boston, Grantham, Thorney, and Spalding. He claimed waste was being sent to a legal site near Sheffield, but loads were instead diverted to unlicensed dumping grounds, including farms, a historic manor house, and a nature reserve.

John Littlewood, a former detective constable in Warwickshire Police's child abuse, trafficking and exploitation team, met a vulnerable woman during an investigation involving her sexually abused daughter. He initiated inappropriate contact, exchanging numerous text messages, Facebook messages, and phone calls with her, including sexualised and provocative content. Littlewood acknowledged the impropriety, warning her to delete messages to avoid trouble at work, some of which were sent while on duty. The incident was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, concluding in December 2024.

Khaibar Rahman, of Acocks Green, conspired with the gang to acquire a self-loading handgun and ammunition as part of Ameran Zeb Khan's plan, receiving instructions via Khan's wife between July and September 2018.

Gulshan Ara, wife of Ameran Zeb Khan, of Bordesley Green, communicated with Khan via official prison phones and with Sarweeth Rehman to instruct the Rahman brothers on buying weapons between July and September 2018.

Ahmed Hussain, of South Yardley, conspired with the gang to acquire firearms and ammunition, communicating with Iqrar Zamir before the seizure of a converted handgun and ammunition in September 2018.

Akbar Rahman, of Sparkhill, conspired with the gang to acquire firearms and ammunition, communicating with Iqrar Zamir prior to the seizure of a handgun and ammunition in September 2018.

While serving a 22-year sentence for heroin smuggling, Ameran Zeb Khan conspired from prison with gang members to acquire firearms and ammunition, planning to inform the NCA under SOCPA 2005 to secure a reduced sentence. He used code words and illicit phones to communicate instructions between July and September 2018.