[E]leven people have been convicted after Abdul Hafidah was murdered in Moss Side.
On Thursday 12 May 2016 Abdul Hafidah, 18, was murdered in Moss Side.
At about 5.15pm that day Wright, Ford, George, Walters, Wilson, Goodall, Neish, Cantrill, Samuels and a 14-year-old boy, chased Abdul from Princess Parkway and onto Moss Lane East, where they attacked him, one with a hammer.
Video shows Abdul Hafidah running through Moss Side being chased by the group. Abdul is the one wearing the white top.
After a considerable chase where Abdul was clearly exhausted, he was finally incapacitated after Williams drove his Vauxhall Corsa at him, knocking him to the ground.
Once on the floor, Abdul was viciously attacked by the group with punches, kicks and stamps.
The group then ran away in the direction of Quinney Crescent where the Corsa was waiting.
Witnesses called an ambulance for Abdul, but he sadly died in hospital on 14 May 2016.
A Home Office post mortem concluded that he died from two stab wounds to the neck and also had injuries to his head.
Detective Chief Inspector Terry Crompton of GMP’s Major Incident Team said: “Abdul Hafidah lost his life under such tragic circumstances. A family have lost their son and have been put through a tremendous amount of heartache.
“This is a tragedy for everyone involved; the parents of the young men jailed today have also lost their sons.
“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.”
Alan Richardson, from the CPS, said: “This was a vicious and sustained attack on an 18-year-old man on a busy street in the middle of the rush hour. Abdul Wahab Hafidah was completely outnumbered by the defendants and had no possibility of defending himself. The defendants chased him as a pack, cornered him and then subjected him to an extremely violent assault.
“The evidence presented in court by the CPS included many hours of CCTV, over 20 eyewitness accounts and compelling DNA evidence. We were able to prove to the jury that these defendants were jointly involved in the violence that led to Abdul Wahab Hafidah’s death. The convictions of 11 defendants for murder or manslaughter demonstrates the strength of the case that we brought against them.
“Our thoughts remain with Abdul Wahab Hafidah’s family and friends as they come to terms with their loss.”
Abdul Hafidah’s family has paid tribute to him: “Abdulwahab was a loving son, brother and uncle.
“He was selfless, putting everyone before himself. He cherished the good times he spent with his family and friends and was always smiling and laughing.
“Abdulwahab started each day by greeting his mother and father with a kiss on their foreheads.
“On the morning of 12 May 2016, Abdulwahab’s parents were away on holiday when they received their last message from him which read “mum and dad I love you”. He sent this without knowledge it would be for the last time.
“Abdulwahab did not die as a result of accident or ill health; he was hunted down, attacked and ripped away from our lives forever in a senseless act of brutality and we as a family are totally devastated by his loss
“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
“After a long investigation and trial of those involved we are relieved that justice has been done and those responsible have been made to account for their actions
“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
“We would like to thank the members of public who tried to help our son as he lay on the tarmac fighting for his life and the medical staff who tended to him in an attempt to bring him back to us. We would also like to extend out thanks to the Crown Prosecution Service, Investigation Team, Family Liaison Officers and Victim and Witness Support, who have helped us throughout this process.
“We as a family ask that our privacy be respected to allow us time to grieve.
“Thank you.”
The below people were convicted on Monday 10 July 2017, after a trial at Manchester Crown Court, Crown Square.
Devonte Cantrill (02/10/1996) of no fixed address was found guilty of murder.
Delroy Wright (10/01/99) of no fixed address was found guilty of murder.
Durrell Ford (04/10/1996) of Darncombe Close, Moss Side was found guilty of murder.
Nathanial Jermaine Williams (25/07/1998) of Hebburn Walk, Rusholme was found guilty of murder.
Devonte Neish (13/11/1998) of Nell Lane, Manchester was found guilty of manslaughter.
William George (27/03/1996) of Cowesby Street, Moss Side was found guilty of manslaughter.
A 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of manslaughter.
The below people were convicted on Tuesday 8 August 2017, after a trial at Preston Crown Court.
Reanu Walters (22/12/1997) of Greame Street, Moss Side was found guilty of murder at Preston Crown Court.
Trey Wilson (10/01/1998) of Oakfield Avenue, Whalley Range was found guilty of murder at Preston Crown Court.
Durrell Goodall (08/11/1996) of Kings Road, Ashton-under-Lyne was found guilty of murder at Preston Crown Court.
Remekell Samuels (19/04/1998) of Caythorpe Street, Moss Side pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
