KFC car ram gang jailed over machete murder

An armed gang that killed a dad with a machete after ramming his son's car at a KFC restaurant have been jailed.

Three men had been previously convicted of killing Kelvin Ward, 50, in Castle Bromwich, Solihull, in April 2023.

Leighton Williams, 28, and Tyrone Hollywood, 17, were found guilty of murder and jailed for life with minimum terms of 29 and 19 years respectively.

Aaron Coates, 18, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 21 years.

A fourth man, Rusharn Williams-Reid, 18, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder Mr Ward's son and jailed for 13.5 years.

The identity of Hollywood had been protected because of his age, but the judge ordered that he should be named after being convicted of murder.

Coventry Crown Court previously heard Mr Ward's mother had held the hand of her son as he lay dead in the street.

The attackers had shouted "kill", amid chase scenes near the takeaway, with Mr Ward's teenage son the initial target.

Mr Ward had been recorded on CCTV getting into a Vaxuhall Corsa driven by his son at the KFC on Chester Road, at about 20:00 BST on 18 April.

Hollywood drove on to the restaurant's car park in a stolen Ford Kuga and rammed the Corsa before a mile-long chase ensued.

Their 19-year-old target managed to escape, but Mr Ward was set upon near Smith's Wood Secondary School, about a mile from the initial encounter.

Mr Ward's partner Tammy, told the BBC the pair were "soulmates" and had been together for more than 20 years.

She asked the BBC not to show her face because she was still living in fear despite the convictions.

Her family has launched a petition calling for people like Mr Ward's attackers, who were wearing balaclavas, to be instantly stopped and search by police.

"They are aware of all the CCTV footage [and] doorbell cameras. They're wearing balaclavas for a reason, to hide their identity. They're going to commit a crime.

"We've got a right, us in the community, to know who we are standing next to."

Mr Ward's older brother David, had previously told the BBC his sibling was "inspirational".

He said the image of his mother holding his sibling's hand was "burned into my memory and into all our memories".

Explaining the sentences passed on three of the defendants the judge, Justice Cheema-Grubb told the court: "There are no second chances when someone is stabbed to death - not for them and not for the perpetrators."

He said Mr Ward's son had escaped with his life only "because he came across someone who let him ride on his electric bike".

Det Supt Shaun Edwards, of West Midlands Police, described the attack as horrific and said Mr Ward had been simply going about his day, ordering a takeaway with his son.

“You can see from the video evidence the ruthless determination that the attackers had as they chase down Mr Ward and his son, and ultimately kill Mr Ward," the officer said.

“Our investigation was absolutely painstaking, and was able to place the defendants at the scene.”

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