Mohammed Adam (left) murdered Fuaad Xuseen
Birmingham Mail
By Carl Jackson
A man who murdered a ‘treasured’ father-of-eight outside a Birmingham shisha bar has been sentenced to life and jailed for a minimum of 23 years. Mohammed Adam stabbed to death complete stranger Fuaad Xuseen on September 26 last year.
The 45-year-old victim was just arriving at Relax Cafe in Stratford Road, Sparkhill in the early hours of the morning as Adam, who was drunk, was being forced out for harassing a lone woman. The two got into an argument which culminated in Mr Xuseen suffering a single but fatal stab wound to the chest with a knife.
Following a trial Adam, aged 46, from Stratford Road, Sparkbrook, was found guilty of murder and possession of a bladed article. He was handed a mandatory life sentence at Birmingham Crown Court today, Friday, June 16.
Prosecutor Peter Finnegan KC said: “The defendant had been ejected for making something of a nuisance of himself as regards a female customer who at the time was on her own.
“He had clearly been drinking heavily prior to his arrival. The deceased had not been present while the altercation occurred in the shisha bar.”
A male customer had come to the woman’s aid and ended up arguing with Adam before eventually forcing him out of the premises. A staff member also requested he leave but the defendant continued to remonstrate with them and try to get back in. It was at that stage that Mr Xuseen arrived.
Mr Finnegan added: “An argument continued outside the bar during which the deceased and the defendant were seen to leave the immediate area to go to a street corner where they remonstrated with each other for a few seconds before returning to the area outside the bar.
“The defendant was seen to reach for a knife which he then used to stab Mr Xuseen. Mr Xuseen managed to return to the shisha bar where he collapsed. Members of the public provided assistance. He suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to hospital.”
Mohammed Adam claimed he ‘had little memory of what happened.
Adam ran off but handed himself into police a few hours later. Initially he claimed to have ‘very little memory’ of what happened but went on to blame Mr Xuseen accusing him of producing a knife and being ‘accidentally stabbed’. The knife has never been recovered.
Judge Paul Farrer said: “From Mr Xuseen’s perspective this happened at speed, without warning and he had no opportunity to raise his hands or take evasive action.”
He added: “I don’t hold your lies against you but equally I conclude you have shown no remorse at any stage throughout these proceedings.”
Much loved victim ‘never got to meet grandchild’
Judge Farrer also concluded that Adam had an intention to cause really serious harm as oppose to an intention to kill, and that the attack was not pre-meditated. In a family statement Mr Xuseen’s daughter said: “He was a great father to his kids and also grandfather to two grandchildren.
He had got another grandchild on the way who he sadly didn’t meet.
“Dad was well-known in the Birmingham Somali community and much loved. He came from a massive family so his death was a massive tragedy for everyone. His presence was always felt in the room because he was always the loudest.”
She added: “We miss him very much. Having a father as a best friend was a treasure to me. We loved him.”