On a Monday afternoon in Walsall, a young man of 22 was beaten and stabbed to death on a public street while bystanders watched and filmed. A jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court has now found three men guilty of murder and a fourth of manslaughter for the killing of Mohammed Khan — a verdict built on the very footage those witnesses captured. What began, investigators say, as a moment of self-defence crossed into something the law and conscience alike cannot excuse, leaving a mother without her son and a community confronting the lethal weight of blades carried in ordinary pockets.
Four men convicted in brutal Walsall street killing of 22-year-old Mohammed Khan
What started as self-defence turned into cold blooded revenge
Why does it matter that Khan arrived armed with two large knives? Does that change what happened to him?
It's part of the story the jury heard. He came with weapons, tried to attack Raja first. But the court found that what the four men did went far beyond any reasonable response. Self-defense became something else—prolonged, coordinated, vengeful.
Right, but we should be clear: the jury decided the response was disproportionate enough to be murder, not self-defense. That's the legal finding. We don't know Khan's intent or state of mind when he arrived.
The attack happened in daylight, in front of witnesses. How does something like that happen in public?
It happened on a busy street at 5:15 in the afternoon. People were there. Some filmed it. That's partly why the evidence was so strong—multiple angles, multiple recordings, CCTV. The violence was visible, documented, undeniable.
And that visibility is important because it means there's no ambiguity about what occurred. The jury wasn't working from conflicting accounts. They had video.
What about the mother's statement—is that typical in these cases?
Victim impact statements are common at sentencing, but she released hers after conviction. It's her voice, her grief, unfiltered. She's describing what it means to lose a child to violence.
We should note that we're reading her words as she chose to share them. We're not adding interpretation or analysis to her pain. We're just letting it stand.
What happens now?
Sentencing. The police expect lengthy prison terms. But the dates haven't been set yet. That's the next phase.
And we don't know what those sentences will be until they're handed down. The expectation is there, but it's not a fact yet.
O Pulso
- A 22-year-old arrived on Bloxwich Road armed with a knife and a machete, and within minutes he was dead — kicked, stamped on, and stabbed repeatedly in front of afternoon pedestrians.
- The attack was coordinated and sustained, carried out by four men who went far beyond any claim of self-defence, according to the detective who led the investigation.
- Bystanders filmed the violence on their phones without intervening, and that footage — combined with CCTV — became the backbone of a prosecution that lasted until a jury delivered its verdict this week.
- Three men now stand convicted of murder, a fourth of manslaughter, while a fifth was acquitted — a split verdict reflecting the court's careful parsing of who did what in a chaotic and brutal scene.
- No sentencing date has been set, but lengthy prison terms are expected, and Mohammed Khan's mother has spoken of a grief that has made the world unrecognisable to her.
On a Monday afternoon in Walsall, a young man of 22 was beaten and stabbed to death on a public street while bystanders watched and filmed. A jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court has now found three men guilty of murder and a fourth of manslaughter for the killing of Mohammed Khan — a verdict built on the very footage those witnesses captured. What began, investigators say, as a moment of self-defence crossed into something the law and conscience alike cannot excuse, leaving a mother without her son and a community confronting the lethal weight of blades carried in ordinary pockets.
Mohammed Khan was 22 years old when he arrived on Bloxwich Road in Walsall on the afternoon of March 17, 2025, carrying a combat knife and a machete. He had come, it seems, to confront Zain Raja. He never got the chance. What followed was a sustained and deliberate assault: Raja, along with brothers Asad and Hassan Iftakhar and their cousin Amaan Khan, knocked Mohammed to the ground, kicked and stamped on him, and stabbed him multiple times. Members of the public watched from the street. Some recorded it on their phones. Khan was rushed to hospital and died that night.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court this week, a jury returned its verdicts. Zain Raja, Asad Iftakhar, and Hassan Iftakhar were each convicted of murder. Amaan Khan was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. A fifth defendant, Iftakhar Ahmed, was acquitted. Asad Iftakhar was also convicted of possessing a knife; Hassan Iftakhar of possessing an axe.
The prosecution's case rested heavily on video evidence — mobile phone footage from bystanders and CCTV recordings that allowed detectives to reconstruct the attack moment by moment. Detective Inspector Joe Davenport, who led the inquiry, said the violence had begun as self-defence but became something far darker: cold-blooded revenge that went well beyond anything the law could sanction.
Mohammed Khan's mother spoke after the verdicts. She described sleepless nights and intrusive thoughts about her son's final moments — whether he was frightened, whether he suffered, whether he knew he was dying. She said the world no longer makes sense, that she still half-expects him to walk through the door. She described him as kind, caring, and thoughtful. She said she will carry this grief for the rest of her life.
Sentencing has yet to be scheduled. Police anticipate that the convicted men will serve many years in prison. The case, Davenport said, is a stark reminder of the devastation that knife crime leaves in its wake.
Mohammed Khan arrived on Bloxwich Road in Walsall on the afternoon of March 17 carrying a combat knife in one hand and a machete in the other. He was 22 years old. What happened next, at around 5:15 p.m. on a Monday in broad daylight, would end his life and reshape the lives of everyone who witnessed it or loved him.
Khan attempted to attack Zain Raja, but he never got the chance to follow through. Instead, four men—Raja, his brothers Asad and Hassan Iftakhar, and their cousin Amaan Khan—descended on him with coordinated brutality. They kicked him to the ground. They stomped on him repeatedly. They stabbed him multiple times, including wounds to his back and neck. The assault was sustained and deliberate, unfolding in front of members of the public who watched from the street. Some filmed it on their phones. Khan was taken to hospital but died from his injuries that night.
On Wednesday, a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court delivered its verdict after hearing the evidence. Three of the four men were convicted of murder: Zain Raja, 23, of Harden Road; Asad Iftakhar, 34, of Bloxwich Road; and Hassan Iftakhar, also 34, also of Bloxwich Road. Amaan Khan, 22, of Harden Road, was found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder. A fifth defendant, Iftakhar Ahmed, 53, also of Bloxwich Road, was acquitted. Asad Iftakhar was additionally convicted of possessing a knife, and Hassan Iftakhar of possessing an axe.
The investigation turned on video evidence. Witnesses had recorded the attack on their mobile phones, and police secured CCTV footage that captured the violence in detail. Detectives compiled multiple clips, building a frame-by-frame account of what occurred. That visual record proved decisive. Detective Inspector Joe Davenport, who led the investigation, described the attack as having begun as self-defense but transformed into something far darker. "What started as self-defence, turned into cold blooded revenge," he said, "and the group went far beyond what was reasonable in the circumstances."
Mohammed Khan's mother released a statement after the convictions. She wrote of a grief that has become her constant companion, of nights she can no longer sleep through, of intrusive thoughts about her son's final moments—whether he was afraid, whether he was in pain, whether he knew he was dying. She described the world as having stopped making sense. She said she still expects him to walk through the door. She said nothing feels safe anymore, nothing feels normal. She carried him, raised him, loved him every day of his life. He was kind, caring, thoughtful. He mattered. She will carry this sorrow for the rest of her life.
No sentencing date has been set. Police expect the convicted men to spend many years in prison. The case, Davenport said, underscores the devastating impact of knife crime and the dangers of carrying knives on the streets. It was a shocking outbreak of violence on a busy road in the daytime, witnessed by many, tolerated by none.
Citações Notáveis
I cannot sleep properly anymore. The nights are the hardest.— Mohammed Khan's mother, in a statement released after the convictions
What started as self-defence, turned into cold blooded revenge, and the group went far beyond what was reasonable in the circumstances.— Detective Inspector Joe Davenport, who led the investigation