Kelvin Ward: Three convicted of KFC car ram killing

Three people have been found guilty over the death of a dad fatally stabbed after his car was rammed at a KFC restaurant.

The mother of 50-year-old Kelvin Ward held the hand of her son as he lay dead in the street in April, his brother said.

The attackers had shouted "kill" amid chase scenes near the takeaway in Castle Bromwich, Solihull.

They then left Mr Ward to die as if he was "road kill", his partner said.

Mr Ward's teenage son was the initial target, Coventry Crown Court heard.

There on Tuesday, an anonymity order on Tyrone Hollywood, 17, was lifted after he and Leighton Williams, 28, were found guilty of murder.

A third individual, Aaron Coates, 18, was convicted of manslaughter in connection with the attack.

Hollywood, Williams and Coates were also found guilty of conspiracy to murder Mr Ward's son.

A fourth man, Rusharn Williams-Reid, 18, was found guilty of the same offence.

The four are due to be sentenced in January.

Coventry Crown Court heard Mr Ward was recorded on CCTV getting into a Vaxuhall Corsa driven by his son at a KFC on Chester Road, Castle Bromwich, at about 20:00 BST on 18 April.

At the same time, Hollywood was behind the wheel of a stolen Ford Kuga carrying his three co-defendants.

Hollywood drove on to the restaurant's car park and rammed the Corsa, the court was told.

Mr Ward's son, the intended target of the attack according to the prosecution, drove away, but his car was repeatedly rammed until its airbags inflated, forcing it to stop.

The 19-year-old target then managed to escape but Mr Ward was set upon near Smith's Wood Secondary School, about a mile from the initial encounter.

As Mr Ward's son fled, the court heard, occupants of the Kuga shouted: "Get him now, keep chasing - kill him, everyone kill him."

He was chased by Hollywood along with Williams but managed to escape with the help of a man on an e-bike.

Mr Ward, the court was told, had meanwhile jumped into the Kuga, driving in the direction in which his son had made his escape.

According to the proceedings, Mr Ward drove the vehicle at Hollywood, who had been handed a zombie knife by Coates, but missed and crashed into railings before being attacked.

Hollywood and Williams were caught on CCTV stabbing Mr Ward, who suffered a stab wound to the heart, the court heard.

Det Supt Shaun Edwards, of West Midlands Police, said a painstaking investigation revealed Mr Ward's "savage" attackers continued to strike him with machetes despite having already inflicted the fatal blow.

Mr Ward's older brother, David Ward, told the BBC his mother had held his sibling's hand as he lay dead in the street.

"That's burned into my memory and into all our memories," he said.

He added his brother was a carpenter by trade who would always help others by using his skills, and was someone who had made a choice to change the direction of his life as a youngster and could once have chosen the wrong path himself.

Kelvin Ward's partner, Tammy, said: "Kelvin was the love of my life. He always put himself out for other people and if anyone needed a job doing or shoulder to cry on, he'd be there.

"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."

Hundreds of mourners attended a special memorial event for Mr Ward in the days after his death, with hundreds more attending his funeral.

His family described the local man as "a loving partner, father, son, brother and friend to many".

David Ward said he believed anybody who willingly carried a knife had made a conscious decision to do so.

"You can take a knife out or you can not take a knife out," he explained.

"If you are willing to have friends who are armed to the teeth you are making a choice. There has to come a time where you draw a line in the sand."

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