THREE Brierley Hill men who killed their own relative as they tried to save their drugs crop have been found guilty of murder.
Saghawat Ramzan, his son Omar Ramzan, and Mohammed Sageer claimed they acted in self-defence when they killed Khuzaimah Douglas, aged 19, and Saghawat’s own brother, Waseem Ramzan, aged 36, with crossbows at their cannabis factory in Pensnett Road.
The Ramzans lived next door to what police described as a "professional and lucrative cannabis factory" which was raided by a group of around 10 people wanting to steal their crop on February 20 last year at around 3.30am.
Knowing an attack was likely, the Ramzans had amassed a huge collection of weapons including a large panther crossbow, a smaller crossbow, a sword, knives and a knuckleduster - police said.
On the night of the fatal incident Saghawat Ramzan and his son Omar rushed next door to see what was happening - also calling Saghawat’s brother, Waseem, who lived further down the street, for help.
Armed with a crossbow and sword, Saghawat attacked the raiders, firing a shot from his crossbow which just missed.
As they tried to flee one of the robbers, Khuzaimah, was caught by Waseem and wrestled to the ground.
At this point Mohammed Sageer arrived and joined in the attack.
Khuzaimah struggled to free himself, but all three men attacked him and Saghawat reloaded his crossbow with a bolt and fired at almost point-blank range in the direction of Khuzaimah.
He missed and hit his brother, Waseem, in the left side of his abdomen.
Saghawat then reloaded his crossbow and took another shot which hit Khuzaimah just above his hip. He managed to struggle to his feet and ran off but collapsed across the road.
The bolt had embedded in his pelvic bone, he suffered massive blood loss, and despite medical assistance he died of his injuries at the scene.
Meanwhile, the others decided to get help for fatally injured Waseem − who was taken by car to hospital while Saghawat went to tidy up the weapons and secure the property.
The hospital called police due to the nature of the injuries, as crossbow wounds are extremely rare.
Saghawat gave a false account of what happened, telling officers he’d heard a commotion and found people attacking his brother.
Police said in a bid to evade capture the trio stopped using their phones but Saghawat, aged 47, from Pensnett Road, was found at a property in Stoke on February 23.
The following day, his son Omar, aged 24, also from Pensnett Road, handed himself in - telling officers he had acted in self-defence.
A similar account was made by Sageer, aged 33, from Gorsty Avenue, Brierley Hill, who travelled to Scotland and then Bradford, before handing himself in on February 25.
All three were charged with murder and at Wolverhampton Crown Court today they were found guilty of Khuzaimah’s murder.
Saghawat was also found guilty of the murder of Waseem, while Omar and Mohammed were found guilty of his manslaughter.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro, from our homicide team, said of the case: “The actions of these three men were shocking, brutal and calculated.
“To protect their cannabis grow, they were happy to use extreme violence in a brutal and sustained attack on Khuzaimah.
“We believe they wanted to send a clear message to the people who’d attempted to rob their cannabis factory. However, Saghawat also killed his own brother during the attack which further highlights their determination to cause serious harm and just how dangerous their weapons were.
“There is no place on our streets for violence like this or the armoury of weapons they chose to have and ultimately use.
“Two lives have been lost because these men decided to use extreme violence in an attempt to protect their illegal drug business."
The trio will be sentenced on March 12.
A further investigation into the drugs element of the case continues. Police say a number of people have been charged with conspiracy to burgle and they are awaiting trial.
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