Three Asians 'murdered during riots were lured to their deaths by killers pretending to be looters'

• The men were flung 10ft into the air after they were hit from behind by the speeding car in Winson Green, Birmingham, on August 10 last year
• Court was told three of the accused stayed behind to chillingly watch the reaction of the crowd following the death smash
• 'They were all in it together, each had a role to perform,' alleged prosecution
• Mr Jahan's mother, Tahira Yasmin, covered her face with her hands in the public gallery as the horrific CCTV of the fatal collision was played to the jury

By Jill Reilly

PUBLISHED: 11:26 EST, 20 April 2012 | UPDATED: 11:59 EST, 20 April 2012  

Three men who were mown down and killed during last year's riots were lured into the middle of the road by a gang seconds before a car deliberately ploughed into them from behind, a court heard today.

Brothers Shazad Ali, 30, Abdul Musavir, 31, and their friend Haroon Jahan, 20, died after a Mazda drove at a crowd of men protecting homes and businesses from looters.

They were flung 10ft into the air after they were hit by the speeding car in Winson Green, Birmingham, on August 10 last year.

Court sketch : (Top row, left to right) Joshua Ellis Donald, 27-years-old, Aaron Joseph Parkins, Ian Klim Beckford, 30-years-old and Everton Dwight Graham, 30-years-old, (bottom row, left to right), Adam King, 24-years-old, Ryan Goodwin, 21-years-old, Shaun Flynn, 26-years-old, Juan Pablo Ruiz-Gaviria, 31-years-old

Their brutal deaths came at the height of the summer disorder which rocked Britain.

Eight men aged between 18 and 30 are each charged with three counts of murder.

Birmingham Crown Court heard the gang split up into three cars as part of a 'concerted plan' to ambush the group of 100 Asian males who were standing guard by a Jet petrol station on August 10.

The court heard how the gang signalled to each other for the Audi to slowly drive past the crowd and shout racial abuse at them calling them 'Pakis' in order to draw as many of them into the middle of the road.

Seconds later the Fiesta accelerated towards the men alongside the Mazda which ploughed into the group while most of the men were not looking. 

Tim Spencer QC, prosecuting, told the jury: 'Had it not been for the Audi and Fiesta the crowd would not have been in that part of the road, available for the Mazda to hit.

Horrifying: Jurors watched CCTV footage of the fatal impact, which clearly shows Haroon Jahan (left), Shazad Ali (centre) and Abdul Musavir (right) being flung into the air after they were hit by the car on Dudley Road

'They would have been either on the pavement or closer to the pavement and the safety of the pavement and forecourt provided.

'Had they not done what they did, those in the crowd, particularly those in the road, would have been more aware of the oncoming third car, the Mazda, more aware of the danger it presented and better able to try and get out of the way.

'That is why we say these three cars were driving together in a concerted plan.

'The prosecution don’t know how or when the plan was finalised. They [the defendants] knew the role that was expected of them.'

Hearing: The court heard all eight defendants were allegedly in the three cars at the time of the incident

Haroon Jahan’s mother Tahira Yasmin covered her face with her hands in the public gallery as the horrific CCTV of the fatal collision was played to the jury.

On the first day of the trial violent scenes erupted in the public gallery as the 15-second film showed the impact of the crash was so violent that the Mazda’s bonnet flipped up and the nearside headlight was smashed.

Mr Spencer told the court the Audi, containing King, Goodwin, Flynn and Ruiz-Gaviria, stayed behind to chillingly watch the reaction of the crowd following the death smash.

He added: 'The actions of the Audi must have been deliberate.

Grieving: Tariq Jahan pictured the morning after his son Haroon Jahan was killed after being struck by a car

Famous words: After the three men died Tarmiq Jahan (at the microphone), gave an impassioned speech in Summerfield Park, Birmingham, asking for the violence to stop

'It must have known that the cars behind it were going to see something that they wanted to watch, to observe.

'You see all the three key vehicles in this case just after impact and we say that picture paints the point probably better than I can - as to the co-ordinated nature of this driving.

'They were all in it together, each had a role to perform.'

The Mazada was later torched in a bid to destroy evidence, the court was told.

Joshua Donald, 27, Aaron Parkins, 18, Adam King, 24, Ian Beckford, 30, Everton Graham, 30, Ryan Goodwin, 21, Juan Ruiz-Gaviria, 31, and Shaun Flynn, 26, all from Birmingham, all deny three counts of murder.

Distressing viewing: Haroon Jahan's mother Tahira Yasmin covered her face with her hands in the public gallery as the horrific CCTV of the fatal collision was played to the jury at Birmingham Crown Court

Yesterday when footage was shown some relatives fled the courtroom while others sobbed as the 15-second clip showed one of the men somersault through the air.

The court heard how tensions between the different communities in multicultural Birmingham had become particularly inflamed during the riots.

Prosecutor Timothy Spencer QC had earlier warned the nine women and three men of the jury to ‘prepare to be shocked’ by the ‘shocking’ footage.

As it the moment of impact was replayed on flatscreens around the courtroom, some in the public gallery gasped in horror, while others became embroiled in an angry exchange which led to the case being temporarily halted.

The trial continues.

Pentagon to investigate hundreds of suspected child pornography fans in its ranks

michael le vell pleads not guilty to child sex offences