🔴 FUGITIVE GANGSTER CAGED FOR TEEN STABBING IN BIRMINGHAM

Ishmael Farquharson, born 18 April 1991, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court after a jury convicted him of manslaughter over the death of 16-year-old Sekou Doucoure in July 2022. Farquharson went on the run immediately after the attack, remaining at large for more than two years until he was tracked down in Spain and extradited to the UK earlier this year.

Sekou, who had moved to Britain with his family from Spain in 2015, was fatally stabbed on Nursery Road, Hockley, during a confrontation between rival gangs. Prosecutors told the court he had travelled into the B19 postcode area — controlled by the “9 boys” gang — intending to locate and attack members of that group and enhance his reputation within his own GRD gang.

On 12 July 2022, Farquharson spotted Sekou and immediately alerted fellow gang members Pierre Thomas and Fardi Jafal, aged 18 and 17. Thomas carried a blank-firing handgun, Jafal a knife, and with another youth they tracked down Sekou. Shots were fired as Sekou armed himself with a knife, attacked and attempted to escape.

CCTV and witness evidence detailed a coordinated pursuit. Farquharson eventually located Sekou on Burbury Street, where a fight broke out and both men slashed at each other with knives. On a petrol station forecourt, Farquharson stabbed Sekou once in the chest with a kitchen knife over six inches long. Armed police officers responding to reports of gunfire attempted first aid, but Sekou was pronounced dead at the scene.

Farquharson fled, returning for the murder weapon and a mobile phone which he disposed of and which were never recovered, and immediately left the UK.

In March 2023, Thomas and Jafal were convicted of manslaughter and possession of imitation firearms with intent to cause fear of violence, each receiving nine-year sentences.

Detectives from West Midlands Police, working with the National Crime Agency and Spanish authorities, arrested Farquharson in Alicante on 23 January 2025 and extradited him for trial.

Jurors rejected the murder charge, finding the evidence did not prove beyond doubt that Farquharson intended to cause really serious injury amid the chaos of the confrontation. They instead opted for manslaughter, meaning intent to cause harm was established, but not the higher threshold required for murder.

Judge Paul Farrer KC said Farquharson had played the “leading role” in seeking out the teenager and told him: “The jury’s verdict makes clear that you intended to inflict significant harm on Mr Doucoure, even if not the most serious injury.”

It emerged at sentencing that Farquharson had previous convictions for assault and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Douglas Marshall said: “Sekou Doucoure’s death is a tragic reminder of the devastating consequences of knife crime. Farquharson may have thought distance and time would protect him, but this case shows that offenders cannot escape justice by fleeing abroad. Our thoughts remain with Sekou’s family and loved ones, who have shown tremendous dignity throughout this lengthy legal process.”

Detective Superintendent Laura Harrison of the Major Crime Unit added: “Ishmael Farquharson thought that by fleeing the country he would escape justice, but we worked tirelessly with the National Crime Agency and Spanish authorities to bring him back before the courts. Carrying a knife puts yourself and others at serious risk, and our work continues to target those who do so.”

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