Men jailed after man stabbed and pushed in canal

A group of men have been jailed for their role in death of a man who was stabbed in the heart and pushed into a canal.

Ahmed Alshran, 33, was attacked along with another man on Dale Street in Manchester city centre in August 2023, and died weeks later from his injuries.

Mohammed Al-Enizi Hameed, 36, of Rusholme, was found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum tariff of 24 years.

A 17-year-old boy, who has not been named for legal reasons, was also found guilty of murder and sentenced to 13 years in jail.

Hussein Muhalhal, 20, of Longsight was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to five and a half years in jail.

Another 17-year-old boy, who was also not named, was also found guilty of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to two and half years in prison for his role in the attack.

Greater Manchester Police said the men were seen on CCTV gathering on the Rochdale Canal Tow Path off Dale Street in Manchester city centre at about 18:25 BST on 16 August.

Mr Alshran and a group of friends walked along the same tow path when he and one of his friends were stabbed by the group, who then ran away.

A passerby heard Al-Enizi Hameed say "come bring the knife, go get a knife, let's kill him" in the moment before the attack, police said.

Mr Alshran was found lying by the canal after pulling himself from the water, having being pushed in by one of his attackers.

His friend recovered from his injuries, but the 33-year-old spent weeks in intensive care before he died.

Det Supt David Moores said hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and phone records were scanned as part the investigation.

He said the attack was "despicable", adding he hoped it brought Mr Ahmed's family comfort to know the four men would "spend a long time behind bars".

In a statement provided to police, Ahmed's family said they wanted to thank those who worked to investigate his "senseless" murder, and bring "justice" to those responsible.

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