Handsworth teenager jailed for life for murder of Yassin Alama

A teenager who stabbed a 19-year-old to death during a dispute between rival street gangs in Birmingham has been jailed for life.

Oumar Traore, 18, killed Yassin Alama on Hutton Road in Handsworth, the street where Traore lived, in November last year. He was 17 at the time.

At Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, Judge Kubik KC told him he must serve at least 20 years in prison before he can be considered for release.

Rival gangs from Handsworth and Aston

The stabbing followed a fight between rival gangs from Handsworth and Aston. Traore admitted killing Mr Alama but claimed he had acted in self-defence. A jury rejected that and found him guilty of murder and possession of a blade in June.

CCTV showed Traore running to Westminster Road, where he got into a car belonging to his friend Mustafa Ali. Inside the car he filmed his bloodstained knife and boasted about it in social media posts he shared with friends, police said.

Ali drove him to Gordon Road, where Traore threw away the knife and his mobile phone and arranged for his clothes to be collected and disposed of. Officers later recovered the items.

A week on the run

Traore evaded police for a week with the help of another close friend, Oliver Gabbis, who arranged travel and places for him to stay. He was eventually tracked down to an address on Quinton Road, where officers found several large knives, one of them bearing his fingerprints.

Detectives said they also found evidence of his gang links, an obsession with knives, and that he had been buying and selling machetes and zombie knives.

Ali, 18, admitted assisting an offender and will be sentenced at a later date. Gabbis, 20, was jailed for three years and nine months in July after admitting perverting the course of justice.

"Despicably chilling"

Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell said the case showed the "devastating" impact of gang violence and knife crime.

"Yassin Alama's life was cut short through a senseless act of violence. He was just 19 years old," she said. "His actions showed total disregard for human life, and his boasting after the murder is despicably chilling."

"No sentence imposed can ever compensate for the tragic loss of human life, but I hope Yassin's family can find some comfort in knowing that his killer will now face a considerable time behind bars."

Zombie-style knives have been banned in England and Wales since 2024, and it is illegal to own, sell or carry them. Anyone with information about people carrying weapons can contact police on 101, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The youth charity Fearless, part of Crimestoppers, offers young people a way to pass on information without giving their name.