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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Carl Jackson & Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Chilling CCTV shows masked teens running through Asda moments before dad stabbed to death

This is the horrifying moment a group of masked youths stormed through a supermarket before a brave customer would be murdered for challenging them.

Seconds later, 53-year-old father Ian Kirwan was stabbed in the chest and later died.

Chilling CCTV footage captures nearly a dozen teenage boys arriving at the Asda branch in Jinnah Road, Redditch, on March 8 last year.

They split up with five of them, all with their faces covered and hoods pulled up, entering the store toilets.

The software engineer was in the cubicle, only to be disturbed by one of the teenagers banging on the door and urging him to hurry up.

The CCTV shows them leaving the toilets and then exiting the store, BirminghamLive reports.

Following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court, the jury today announced their verdicts after deliberating for more than 30 hours.

The 14-year-old boy who inflicted the fatal blow, now aged 15, was found guilty of murder and possessing a knife.

One boy aged 15 at the time, but now 16, had admitted possession of a knife but was found guilty of violent disorder, having been cleared of murder/manslaughter.

Two boys aged 14 were also convicted of violent disorder while a 16-year-old was acquitted of all counts.

During the trial, CCTV footage from the supermarket captured the confrontation outside.

Prosecutor Benjamin Aina KC stated the knife was out in view for up to 20 seconds as it passed from the 15-year-old's hands to the 14-year-old's.

The CCTV also showed Mr Kirwan kick out 'Karate-style' at one of the boys before the others 'surrounded' him, the court was told.

Ian Kirwan was stabbed outside the supermarket in Redditch by a 14-year-old boy (BPM Media)

The boys cannot be named due to their age, although presiding judge Mr Justice Fraser is expected to rule on an application to lift reporting restrictions before sentencing next month.

Mr Kirwan went to B&Q at Jinnah Road in Redditch to purchase a light switch. He then went to Asda next door to buy some snacks for the evening.

Meanwhile, the defendants had travelled from Birmingham to Redditch on the train as part of a larger group of 11. Upon reaching Asda, they split up. The five defendants entered the supermarket with hoods up and faces covered.

They went inside the toilets where one of them banged on Ian Kirwan's cubicle door urging him to hurry up. The youths left, but Mr Kirwan confronted them outside as they sat on the trollies.

A 15-year-old boy has today been found guilty of murdering the man at an Asda supermarket (BPM Media)

The trial heard that he said words to the effect of 'Which one of you was f***ing around in the toilet?' to which one of the group replied 'If you want a problem, we'll have a problem'.

A scuffle ensued between them with some of the boys aiming punches and kicks at Mr Kirwan, who made Karate-style defensive kick motions of his own. It was claimed one of the boys said 'back it out, back it out' allegedly in reference to a knife, and at some stage a blade changed hands from the trouser pocket of a 15-year-old to the hands of the 14-year-old boy who stabbed Mr Kirwan in the chest.

Police at the scene following the murder last year (BPM Media)

The blow was struck shortly after 7.19pm and Mr Kirwan tragically died within an hour before reaching a hospital. The boys fled the area and were arrested over the coming days.

The 14-year-old who inflicted the knife wound admitted doing so. He told police he got the knife out to get Mr Kirwan to back off but 'forgot' he was holding it when he punched him.

He argued diminished responsibility due to mental health issues but the jury rejected the defence.

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