Birmingham driver murdered ‘showboating’ e-Biker to ‘teach him a lesson’, court told Liam Jones, aged 22, was killed after being knocked off his e-Bike by a car on Moat Lane, Stechford on August 1, 2023

A motorist deliberately chased, rammed and killed a ‘showboating’ motorbiker to ‘teach him a lesson’, a court has heard. Liam Jones was knocked off his e-Bike by a Seat Leon in Moat Lane, Stechford shortly before midnight on August 1, 2023.

After falling to the floor the 22-year-old struck a concrete post and was pronounced dead at the scene around half an hour later having suffered traumatic chest and abdominal injuries. Abdirahman Ibrahim was behind the wheel of the Seat.

The 21-year-old from Bonham Grove in Yardley has admitted manslaughter but stands trial at Birmingham Crown Court where he denies a charge of murder. Opening the case prosecutor Phil Bradley KC stated Mr Jones and his friend Tayzhon Johnson had ridden their bikes into Birmingham city centre on the evening of August 1, 2023 before deciding to return home around 11.30pm due to concerns their batteries may deplete.

The prosecutor told the court that while heading out of town on the Coventry Road Mr Johnson became aware of the white Seat behind them, noticing it had a broken headlamp and black tinted windows. The Leon had turned around at the roundabout near Asda after passing the bikers on the opposite side of the road, the jury hard.

“Mr Johnson said there was no interaction between the car and the motorbikes – no gestures or anything of that sort,” said Mr Bradley who continued: “However, he felt weird. He said if there was someone in the car he knew they would have flashed their lights or beeped their horn. He also told the police he felt like the car was following us. As we shall see in a moment he was right.”

The prosecutor told the court at one stage Mr Jones performed a ‘stand-up wheelie’. He said: “One possibility you may want to consider is whether the defendant took umbrage at Liam’s showboating. To put it another way did it wind the defendant up? So he wanted to teach him a lesson, following him and we know what ultimately happened.”

Mr Bradley explained that the bikers left the Coventry Road at the Swan Island and then went straight over the next roundabout, heading the wrong way down the one-way street Harvey Road. He argued this was ‘significant’ and a deliberate attempt to ‘escape the attention’ of the Leon, only for Ibrahim to have ‘other ideas’.

The court heard the defendant went down Yew Tree Lane and ‘resumed pursuit’ of the bikers on Moat Lane. The jury was told Mr Johnson rode ahead and left Moat Lane into Gilberstone Road.

Mr Bradley stated initially Mr Jones was travelling around 20mph on the 30mph residential street while the Seat was going as fast as 27mph. He said: “This was not racing, it was a case of this defendant deliberately singling out this biker with a view to teaching him a lesson.”

The prosecutor told the court that Ibrahim rammed Mr Jones once only for the rider to stay on his bike before he rammed him a second time causing him to fall off the vehicle, and ultimately to his death, near the junction with Vera Road.

Mr Bradley said that Ibrahim then did a U-turn and drove away. Emergency services attended but Mr Jones lost consciousness at the scene and was pronounced dead at 12.38am on August 2.

The jury was told the Seat was initially taken to Golden Hillock Sports Ground in Sparkbrook before it was moved elsewhere. Ibrahim was arrested from his home address at 2.36am that morning. He did not answer police questions but later pleaded guilty to manslaughter at a court hearing.

Mr Bradley said: “We anticipate his case is that he was doing no more than racing or engaging in competitive driving with Liam. We say that’s nonsense.”

He argued that the Leon never overtook the bikes, despite being more powerful, and stated: “The evidence will show that instead of racing this defendant clearly took umbrage with Liam and he wanted to teach him a lesson and further to exert control by maintaining a menacing presence.

“This was not a race. It was a pursuit. Rather than seeking to out-run Liam the defendant wanted him to know who was in control of the situation which could turn at any moment at this defendant’s choosing.

“His annoyance with Liam was no doubt made all the more worse when the bikers chose to go down Harvey Road the wrong way.”

Concluding his opening address Mr Bradley added: “As we’ve seen he (Ibrahim) quickly got back on Moat Lane where he knew he would have them in his sights again. You may feel that the first collision, captured on CCTV, was an example of the defendant showing Liam Jones he was in control.

“Thereafter there was no braking, only a continued pursuit at greater speed and now without restraint following Liam Jones on the wrong side of the road at the keep left sign and back on to the correct carriageway before bringing him to the floor, always virtually on top of him.

“As we’ve seen Liam Jones was not wearing a helmet. He was on a motorbike that was no match either in speed or in the consequence of a collision. Common sense prevailing it would have been plainly obvious to this defendant Liam would have been seriously injured by any collision let alone by a deliberate one and more than once.

“He followed through with the second collision and didn’t hesitate to leave once he brought Liam to the floor because that’s precisely what he intended to do. In those circumstances you might well ask what was his intention if not to cause really serious harm?”