Three men have been jailed for life after two men were brutally killed with a crossbow during a cannabis farm burglary in Brierley Hill.
Saghawat Ramzan, his son Omar Ramzan, and Mohammed Sageer claimed they acted in self-defence when they brutally killed Khuzaimah Douglas, aged 19, and Saghawat’s own brother, Waseem Ramzan, aged 36.
The Ramzan’s lived next door to their professional and lucrative cannabis factory in Pensnett Road, Brierley Hill. Living just next door, they were able to keep a close eye on any potential risks, including those posed from other criminals.
At 3.30am on 20 February last year, the house was raided by a group of around 10 people wanting to steal their crop. Knowing an attack of this kind was likely, the Ramzan’s had amassed a huge collection of weapons including a large panther crossbow , a smaller crossbow , a sword, knives and a knuckleduster.
Saghawat Ramzan and his son Omar rushed next door to see what was going on also calling Saghawat’s brother, Waseem who lived further down the street for help.
Armed with a crossbow and sword, Saghawat began to attack the raiders, he fired a shot from his crossbow which just missed. They tried to run away but one of the robbers, Khuzaimah, was caught by Waseem and wrestled to the ground.
At this point Mohammed Sageer arrived and joined in the attack.
Khuzaimah struggled to free himself, but all three men attacked him and Saghawat reloaded his crossbow with a bolt and fired at almost point-blank range in the direction of Khuzaimah. He missed and hit his brother, Waseem, in the left side of his abdomen. CCTV showed Waseem remove the bolt from his body.
Saghawat then reloaded his crossbow and took another shot which hit Khuzaimah just above his hip. He managed to struggle to his feet and ran off but collapsed across the road. The bolt had embedded in his pelvic bone, he suffered massive blood loss, and despite medical assistance, sadly died of his injuries at the scene.
Meanwhile, the others decided to get help for injured Waseem – he was taken by car to hospital. Saghawat left shortly after to tidy up the weapons and secure the property. The hospital called police due to the nature of the injuries as fortunately crossbow injuries are extremely rare.
Saghawat gave a false account of what happened, telling officers he’d heard a commotion and found people attacking his brother.
In a bid to evade police, the trio stopped using their phones but Saghawat, aged 47, from Pensnett Road, was found at a property in Stoke on 23 February. The following day, his son Omar, aged 24, also from Pensnett Road, handed himself in telling officers he had acted in self-defence.
A similar account was made by Sageer aged 33, from Gorsty Avenue, Brierley Hill, who’d travelled to Scotland and then Bradford, before handing himself in on 25 February. All three were charged with murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro, from our homicide team, said: “The actions of these three men were shocking, brutal and calculated.
“To protect their cannabis grow, they were happy to use extreme violence in a brutal and sustained attack on Khuzaimah.
“We believe they wanted to send a clear message to the people who’d attempted to rob their cannabis factory. However, Saghawat also killed his own brother during the attack which further highlights their determination to cause serious harm and just how dangerous their weapons were.
“There is no place on our streets for violence like this or the armoury of weapons they chose to have and ultimately use.
“Two lives have been lost because these men decided to use extreme violence in an attempt to protect their illegal drug business.”
Saghawat Ramzan, aged 47, was sentenced to a minimum term of 33 years for the murder of Khuzaimah Douglas and his own brother Waseem Ramzan.
Omar Ramzan, 24, who is the son of Saghawat and nephew of Waseem, was jailed for 22 years for the murder of Mr Douglas and the manslaughter of Waseem.
Mohammed Sageer, aged 33, has been jailed for 20 years for the murder of Mr Douglas and the manslaughter of Waseem.
A further investigation into the drugs element of the case is ongoing with a number of people charged with conspiracy to burgle. They are awaiting trial at a later date.