Driver jailed for murdering biker who did wheelie

A driver who chased and murdered a biker by deliberately ramming him with his car after seeing him do a wheelie has been jailed for life.

Abdirahman Ibrahim, 21, "weaponised" his Seat Leon and twice drove into Liam Jones, 22, as he rode his e-motorbike in Sheldon, Birmingham, on 1 August 2023, Birmingham Crown Court had heard.

Ibrahim remained emotionless in the dock as he was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years on Monday.

After he was convicted in February, police said they believed he was motivated to ram Mr Jones after seeing him showboat and wanted to "teach him a lesson".

Mr Jones crashed into a bollard and died at the scene from his injuries.

At the crown court on Monday, Judge Andrew Smith KC said it must have been clear to Ibrahim that Mr Jones was not wearing a helmet while riding his e-motorbike on Moat Lane.

"After careful reflection I have concluded that you did drive the car into and on Moat Lane such that you had the car available as a weapon," he said.

The judge said Ibrahim, of Bonham Grove, Yardley, had pursued Mr Jones and his friend in a "determined and deliberate way".

He said Mr Jones, who was described as the fun and bubbly "spark" of his family, had done nothing to prompt Ibrahim to chase him.

The court heard Ibrahim had become aware of friends Mr Jones and Tayzhon Johnson as he entered Coventry Road and changed direction to follow them.

The judge said the two men realised they were being followed and went down a one-way street to get away from the car, but Ibrahim drove at speed along another nearby road to catch them.

"There is no evidence that Mr Jones or Mr Johnson ever participated in racing with your car or did anything to encourage you to interact with them," the judge told Ibrahim.

CCTV footage showed the car close behind Mr Jones, who was performing a "stand-up wheelie".

The driver kept pursuing the riders and drove into Mr Jones twice on Moat Lane, shortly before midnight.

Police had said he then drove away and parked his car in another neighbourhood, while his brother called for a taxi to take them home.

The judge added: "Your actions in the immediate aftermath of this deliberate collision were governed by a selfish desire to escape from the scene and involved no care for Mr Jones," he said.

Ibrahim's brother, Abdullahi Ibrahim, 22, also of Bonham Grove, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender at an earlier hearing and was jailed for two years and 10 months on Monday.

The court heard he was a rear seat passenger in the Seat and was involved in efforts to hide the vehicle in the hours after the murder.