Riot murder convictions quashed

Isaiah Young-Sam was an IT worker

Three Asian men who were jailed for life for murdering a 23-year-old black man during riots in Birmingham in 2005 have had their convictions overturned.

Waqar Ahmed, 28, Azhil Khan, 25 and Afzal Khan, 25, denied murdering Isiah Young-Sam during the rioting in Lozells. They were convicted in 2006.

The Appeal Court judge said their convictions should be quashed because evidence was wrongly used.

A retrial has been ordered for the men, who had denied murder.

The judge at Birmingham Crown Court in May 2006 had told the men they would serve a minimum of 25 years.

Secret recording

During the rioting, which involved youths from the black and Asian communities, several people were assaulted and shops were looted.

Mr Young-Sam was stabbed to death during the riots.

The three men convicted of his murder had always maintained that a fourth man was to blame.

The Court of Appeal quashed their convictions saying a secret recording of one of the men encouraging another man to confess was not disclosed to the defence.

The judges said this meant the conviction of this man was unsafe and consequently those of the other two men.