By Matthew Cooper

Copyright standard

Three teenagers all armed with knives who murdered a 17-year-old inside a vape shop have been handed life sentences with minimum terms of between 15 and 19 years.

Abdurrahman Summers, aged 19, and two 16-year-old boys were told the killing of Reuben Higgins had left the victim’s father with post-traumatic stress disorder and feelings of “uncontrollable darkness” and his mother “heartbroken, lost and lonely”.

After hearing victim impact statements in the case, including a statement from the victim’s stepmother describing the killing as a “heinous” act, Judge Paul Farrer KC told the youths: “This is the future you have consigned Reuben’s family to.”

Reuben died after suffering four stab wounds to his leg, arm and chest inflicted by at least two knives when he was chased into and cornered in the Vape Minimarket in Marston Green, Solihull, on October 29 last year.

Passing sentence on the three defendants, who were found guilty of murder at Birmingham Crown Court in May, the judge said Reuben was unarmed, did not want trouble and was backing away in an effort to avoid confrontation.

The court heard Reuben tried to stop his killers entering the shop by lying down in front of the door, but the defendants and a fourth offender who has yet to be arrested all participated in forcing their way into the premises.

Reuben was then pulled to his feet and killed as a shop worker looked on, with one of the younger defendants returning to steal the victim’s phone as he lay dying.

The phone has never been recovered.

Summers, of Yardley, Birmingham, was ordered to serve a minimum term of 19 years.

A 16-year-old who stabbed Reuben in the arm and leg was given a minimum sentence before he can apply for parole of 17 years, while the other boy of the same age who “encouraged and assisted” the killing was ordered to serve at least 15 years.

During his sentencing remarks, Judge Farrer told the defendants: “Your barristers tell me that you are remorseful – I see little real evidence of that.”

As the defendants were being led away to the cells, Summers turned and waved to relatives in the public gallery and then said: “I’m still breathing” towards the jury box, where members of the victim’s family were seated.

The killers’ trial heard they acted like a “pack of wild animals” and were “part of a culture where knives are worshipped and carried”.

Jurors were shown “poor quality” CCTV footage from the scene, which captured the attack lasting around 10 seconds.

The sentencing hearing was told Summers was on licence at the time of the murder, having previously served part of a three-year sentence after committing six robberies, some involving the use of knives.

Rejecting a media application to lift reporting restrictions preventing the media from naming the 16-year-old defendants, Judge Farrer said that their removal was not, on balance, in the interests of justice.

After hearing evidence regarding the boys’ welfare, the judge told the court: “On a balance of probability, the material before me demonstrates that the nature of their offending is not known within their peer group at their places of detention.

“I accept the opinions expressed by the youth offending team to the effect that in each of their cases, naming them publicly would expose them to the risk of both physical and emotional harm and would endanger their rehabilitation.”

An investigation to trace the fourth person wanted in connection with the murder, who police believe has left the country, is ongoing.