No5’s Sharon Bahia was the junior barrister in the successful prosecution of Jervais Boyaram for Murder and possession of a firearm and ammunition to endanger life.
The Defendant started a verbal altercation with four males in a Volkswagen Jetta on a petrol forecourt in Washwood Heath. After they drove off the forecourt, the Defendant armed himself with a firearm that he obtained from the boot of a Jeep and, for a period of around 40 minutes, circled the area in his black smart car, seeking to get revenge for what he perceived was a lack of respect at the petrol forecourt.
The Deceased, Sohail, was simply driving home in his Volkswagen Passat and was wrongfully believed by the Defendant to be one of the males in the Jetta. He had never met the Defendant and had no connection to the males in the Jetta. Whilst Sohail was simply waiting to park his car on his street, the Defendant pulled up alongside him and shot him in the face before driving away to the home of his daughter’s mother. Sohail remained dead in the car for some hours before being discovered by a neighbour.
The case was built on circumstantial evidence, including the tracking of the smart car via CCTV before and after the altercation at the forecourt, cell site, and a crucial witness who was able to confirm that post-shooting, the Defendant had sought the assistance of others to dispose of the gun.
The Defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 31 years imprisonment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-66988510
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/mistaken-identity-killer-jailed-cold-27825025
