Four men jailed after Birmingham dad murdered in machete attack
Kelvin Ward was killed after a group targeted his teenage son in a knife attack.
Last updated 19th Apr 2024
Four people have been jailed for their part in the murder of a father, who was trying to protect his son, in Castle Bromwich.
Kelvin Ward, 50, was killed in what police described as an "absolutely horrific attack" involving machetes and zombie knives in April 2023.
A trial at Coventry Crown Court heard Mr Ward's teenage son was the initial target of the attack.
Tyrone Hollywood, 17, and Leighton Williams, 28, were convicted of murder and have today (18 April) been sentenced to 19 years and 29 years respectively.
Aaron Coates, 18, was convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to murder and was sentenced to 21 years.
Rusharn Williams-Reid, 18, has been sentenced to 13 years for conspiracy to murder.
Mr Ward and his 19-year-old son were leaving a KFC drive-thru in Castle Bromwich when the gang appeared in a stolen Ford Kuga just before 8pm on 18 April 2023.
The four men – Hollywood, Williams, Williams-Reid, and Coates - spotted Mr Ward, getting into a Vaxuhall Corsa driven by his son at KFC on Chester Road.
Hollywood drove the Kuga onto the KFC car park and rammed the car carrying Mr Ward and his son.
Mr Ward’s son drove away with his father, but their car was repeatedly rammed until its airbags were let off, forcing it to stop.
Mr Ward's son managed to run away as the gang gave chase, shouting: "Get him now, keep chasing. Kill him, everyone kill him."
Hollywood, Williams, and Williams-Reid gave chase as Mr Ward jumped into the Kuga and attempted to drive into Hollywood. He crashed into railings, which gave Hollywood and Williams the chance to stab him.
Mr Ward suffered a fatal wound to the heart.
A police investigation found Mr Ward's son had been friends with some of the attackers, but had had a falling out. Mr Ward's family home had also been attacked in the days before the killing.
Speaking at the time of the convictions, Mr Ward’s partner, Tammy, said: “Kelvin was the love of my life. He was a fantastic partner, father, son, brother and good friend to many. He always put himself out for other people and if anyone needed a job doing or shoulder to cry on, he’d be there.
“He was very unique and there was never a dull moment when he was around. He was funny, the life and soul of a party, he worked hard to provide for his family, he had so much more to live for and loved life.
“We didn’t even get to say goodbye instead we got to watch videos of his last moments which was horrific.
“To see the man I love stabbed by savage people then left to die like ‘road kill’ dumped on a road is disgraceful and no one should have to go through that.
“Knife crime is a huge problem in the UK. We hear about it every day.
“We need to send a message to the young people that life is not a computer game, but it appears that this is exactly what the younger generation are treating life as. It appears that they believe they have the authority to decide on someone’s fate.”
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