Teen guilty of stabbing rival gang member to death

A teenager from Birmingham has been found guilty of murder after police said he stabbed a rival gang member to death before bragging about it on social media.

Oumar Traore, 18, of Hutton Road, Birmingham was convicted over the death of 19-year-old Yassin Alama at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday.

The incident happened in November, when Traore, who was 17 at the time, and Alama both brandished weapons and fought in the street.

Alama was stabbed in the abdomen and left to die, as Traore fled the scene.

In the aftermath, Traore boasted on social media about what he had done, sharing a video of the bloodstained knife.

West Midlands Police's homicide unit tracked his movements to an associate's address in Gordon Road, where he discarded the murder weapon, his mobile phone, and where he arranged for his clothes to be collected for disposal.

Traore then evaded police for a week. He was helped by his close friend, Olivier Gabbis, who arranged travel and accommodation for him at several locations.

Gabbis was arrested and mobile phones containing evidence of his actions and gang affiliations was uncovered, the force said.

Officers tracked Traore down to an address at Quinton Road, Birmingham where he was arrested. Several large knives were found inside the property, including a large knife with Traore's fingerprints on it.

In the investigation that followed, officers were able to recover the murder weapon, his mobile phone and clothing he sought to discard, West Midlands Police said.

In interview, Traore read a prepared statement in which he admitted killing Alama, but said it was in self-defence. He answered no comment to all other questions.

Gabbis, of Oxhill Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at a hearing in May.

Both are remanded in custody and are expected to be sentenced on 3 July at Birmingham Crown Court.

Det Insp Michelle Cordell said: "The use of knives to intimidate and settle disputes is far too common among young people in the West Midlands.

"In this case, like so many others, it has had fatal and devastating consequences.

"Yassin's death has devastated the lives of his family and friends and they have been left to grieve the life he could have lived."

Cordell said Traore's first instinct after killing Alama was to "boast about what he had done and to try to dispose of evidence".

"He didn't come forward to hand himself in, he sought to evade capture," she said.

"Fortunately, he left a trail of evidence and we were able to piece together what happened that day.

"His actions were callous and sickening. He will now have to face the consequences of his actions for years to come.

"Carrying weapons never leads to positive outcomes. I urge people to stop and think about the consequences.

"I hope today's verdict provides some comfort to Yassin's family as they continue to adjust to life without him."

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