Man convicted of murdering former friend in Bordesley Green
Tarik Al-Mitheab claimed he was acting in self-defence
A man who claimed he killed his former friend in self-defence has been convicted of murder.
28-year-old Mahmoud Alabdullah was stabbed and killed as he got out of his car on Cherrywood Road in Bordesley Green in November 2023.
Tarik Al-Mitheab was arrested and charged with murder, despite claiming to have stabbed Mr Alabdullah in self-defence.
A murder investigation was launched after a passer-by found Mr Alabdullah slumped in his car in Cherrywood Road, in the early hours of 5 November last year.
A forensic post mortem revealed that he had died from a stab wound to the abdomen.
The court heard how he had driven to Cherrywood Road to visit a friend. As he travelled along Pikewater Road, he passed Al-Mitheab who was a rear seat passenger of a white BMW.
After spotting his former friend, CCTV showed that the white BMW followed Mr Alabdullah into Cherrywood Road.
Al-Mitheab got out and confronted Mr Alabdullah as he sat in his vehicle. As the victim opened his car door, the 22-year-old launched towards him, stabbing him.
Mr Alabdullah got out, but Al-Mitheab continued his attack in the street. He then returned to the waiting car which drove away, leaving the victim seriously injured.
Despite the best efforts of medics, he could not be saved and he died in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth hospital.
The court heard how after the murder, Al-Mitheab was picked up by an associate in another vehicle.
In an attempt to cover his crime, police say he got changed and washed his clothing before visiting a Greggs in Birmingham city centre. He then handed himself in that evening.
The knife he used to kill Mr Alabdullah has never been recovered.
Throughout his four-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Al-Mitheab of Cherrywood Road, maintained his innocence, claiming that he had disarmed Mr Alabdullah of the knife and that he had acted in self-defence.
He will be sentenced on 7 June 2024.