Overview
- At Birmingham Crown Court on February 24, Hamza Khan, 23, and Mohammed Rahman, 25, were convicted of murder and sentenced to life with minimum terms of 17 years and 17 years six months respectively.
- Craig Dean, 53, known locally as “Yankee,” was attacked on July 7 on Springfield Road in Kings Heath and died in hospital two days later.
- Judge Andrew Smith KC said the assault was a punitive response after Mr Dean directed another drug user to a different supplier to assert control over the Ace line.
- After the attack the pair fled and continued dealing for about an hour; Khan later hid in Worcestershire and Rahman flew to Bangladesh before returning to the UK, with both allowing relatives to be arrested initially.
- Detectives traced a Vauxhall Corsa via CCTV and recovered DNA from drink cans linking the men, while victim impact statements detailed Mr Dean’s service in the US Navy and as a San Diego firefighter and the devastation to his family and community.