Black Country crossbow murders case: Court told how 'drunk' defendant drove to hospital
A defendant in the trial of three men accused of murder outside a Black Country cannabis farm told police one of the victims had called him for help.
Waseem Ramzan, 36, was fatally shot with a crossbow after a confrontation with members of a rival gang who raided the property in Pensnett Road, Brierley Hill, in the early hours of February 20 last year.
Another man, 19-year-old Khuzaimah Douglas, was also shot with the crossbow and died at the scene.
Mohammed Sageer, 33, Saghawat Ramzan, 46, and his son Omar Ramzan, 23 all deny charges of murdering the two men.
A jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday that following the shooting, which took place at around 3.40am, Mohammed Sageer drove Waseem Ramzan to Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, accompanied by Omar Ramzan.
Sageer, of Gorsty Avenue, Brierley Hill, was questioned there by Pc Damian Rowe who recorded the exchange on his bodycam.
The case so far:
Answering questions in court from Philip Bradley QC, representing Omar Ramzan, Pc Rowe confirmed he arrived at the hospital at 4.02am and asked Sageer where his taxi sign was.
Pc Rowe said Sageer replied: “I am not a taxi driver” and the officer then asked him if he had been drinking.
“He smelt of intoxicating liquor, appeared drunk but had obviously been driving the vehicle, had driven it to the hospital,” said Pc Rowe.
The court heard that Sageer then referred to Waseem Ramzan, who was being treated by medics:
“The guy in there now said ‘help me, help me Sageer’.
“I jumped in my car. I lost my phone when I picked him up, I have his phone. Is he breathing?”
Pc Rowe asked: “Where did you pick him up from?”.
“Pensnett Road,” Sageer replied.
“When I got there he was not breathing,” said Sageer.
“I put him in the car, I thought it would be quicker. I called the ambulance and asked them to come to the (hospital’s) main entrance, if they could have someone waiting there.”
The court heard that Pc Rowe asked Sageer if Waseem Ramzan had said anything to him about what had happened and Sageer replied that he had not.
Pc Rowe also spoke to Saghawat Ramzan and Omar Ramzan at the hospital.
Three days later Saghawat Ramzan was arrested in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
The arresting officer, Det Con Andrew Baker Ellis, told the court that Ramzan said: “I knew I was going to get questioned with all that happened.
“I knew my brother was dead when I saw him.
“I said ‘get him to hospital’.
“My son is a uni lad. It had nothing to do with him - he is innocent.”
Saghawat Ramzan was then taken to Perry Barr custody suite.
Det Con Daniel Halford said in a statement that while in custody Saghawat Ramzan refused to allow officers to allow officers to take swabs and fingerprint scrapings from him.
Det Con Halford said Ramzan shouted abuse when the inspector authorised that they be taken by force and the officers feared assault.
“We got control of him by grabbing his arm and putting it in an armlock,” said Det Con Halford.
“He was then taken to a cell.”
Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer conducted post mortem investigations on the bodies of both Waseem Ramzan and Khuzaimah Douglas.
He told the court that both men died as a result of the crossbow injuries they sustained and that neither would have died instantaneously.
He said the track of Waseem Ramzan’s wound measured 35 centimetres and damaged his large intestine, his colon, his backbone and completely cut through the main vein in his abdomen and partially the arteries supplying blood to his legs and pelvis.
Dr Lockyer said he found a metal fragment which was “heavily embedded” in Mr Douglas’s pelvic bone. He said he could not remove it and had to remove the bone itself.
He explained that there were injuries to his pancreas, duodenum, liver and right kidney.
“The crossbow bolts are extremely sharp,” said Dr Lockyer.
“They resemble razor blades.”
The trial continues.
