Two men who killed 'vulnerable' teenager jailed

Two men have been jailed after falsely imprisoning and killing a "vulnerable" teenager.

Ben Procter, 19, was mowed down and put into a car boot while "still alive "after he was "caught breaking into a car compound" in Peterborough nearly a year ago.

Shwan Sabah, 24, of Holdich Street, Peterborough, was found guilty of murder and was told at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday that he must spend at least 20 years in jail.

Ako Mohammad, 34, of Oundle Road, Peterborough, was told he must spend at least 16 years in jail after being found guilty of manslaughter.

Police said the two men "pursued and then drove at" Mr Procter after he broke into a compound, used by Mohammad, in Wellington Street on the night of 15 September 2024.

They said the men then rammed Mr Procter off his bike and put him in the boot of a car.

Judge Mark Bishop said evidence showed that Mr Procter and an associate had broken into the compound looking for drugs.

He said CCTV images showing Mr Procter being put into the boot were "shocking".

"He is thrown into the boot of the car as if he were an object," he said.

"It must have been a terrifying experience."

Barrister Sarah Forshaw KC, who represented Mohammad, read out a letter he had written at Friday's hearing.

Mohammad, who is married with two children, said "anything that happened that night" had been "unintentional".

He said he hoped Mr Procter's family could one day "forgive" him.

Miss Forshaw said the "awful events of that night" began as an "attempt to apprehend".

She said Mohammad had no history of offending.

Mr Procter's mother, Emma Procter, said the family were devastated.

"There are no words strong enough to express the pain," she said.

"Nothing can bring him back, nothing can undo the pain."

She said Mr Procter was "vulnerable and easily led" and added: "Ben's story should not have ended in this way."

Judge Bishop described Mohammad as a man of "great authority".

He said Sabah had responded to Mohammad's "request for help" after news of the break-in emerged and used the car as a "weapon" after being "encouraged".

Judge Bishop said Mohammad had "taken matters into his own hands", had acted "ruthlessly", and he was sure Mohammad had "delayed" calling 999 until he was sure Mr Procter was dead.

In addition to the murder conviction, Sabah had been found guilty of false imprisonment and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

As well as the manslaughter conviction, Mohammad was also found guilty of false imprisonment and had admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Judge Bishop handed Sabah a mandatory life sentence and said he must serve at least 20 years in jail before parole could be considered.

The judge imposed a 24-year jail term on Mohammad and said he would serve 16 years in jail before he could be released on parole.

Police said Zamkar Mohammad-Majid, 48, and Hawkar Mohammadi, 40, both of Lincoln Road, New England, Peterborough, had helped in an "attempt to cover up the crime and destroy evidence".

They were both found guilty of false imprisonment and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and were given a 33-month jail term each.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokeswoman said after the trial: "After knocking him from his bike in Boongate at about 10.20pm, the men dragged him from underneath a hedge, unconscious but still alive, and dumped him in the vehicle's boot."

She said the two men had not called emergency services but tried to "cover up the crime" and "destroy evidence".

She added: "[They] returned to the car compound where the incident started and Mohammad called 999 once he believed Ben had died, almost an hour-and-a-half after the collision."

Det Chief Insp Rich Stott, a member of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, added: "My thoughts go out again to Ben's family and friends following today's sentencing.

"Justice has now been done, and I hope it helps his family to come to terms with their devastating loss and recover from the horrific ordeal they've endured since his death.

"Sabah and Mohammad callously attempted to cover up their crime, and were willing to let Ben die to ensure he didn't speak to police. This was a heinous crime which deserves the severe sentences handed down today."

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