Thugs who lay in wait for wheelchair-bound pensioner beat him to death for £120

Jimmy Nsubuga
·3 min read

Watch: Thugs jailed after beating wheelchair-bound pensioner to death for £120

Two thugs who beat a pensioner to death to steal his bank cards have been jailed for life as chilling CCTV shows them following him home from the pub.

Ian Knowles and Ismaila Mohamed, both 20, battered 69-year-old wheelchair-bound Robert Morrison in his flat after tracking him from the Pear Tree Pub in Kings Heath, Birmingham, on 10 December 2018.

The five-stone pensioner died from pneumonia six days later.

CCTV shows Knowles and Mohamed watching Mr Morrison through the window of the pub.

They were seen hiding at a nearby bus stop as they waited for him to leave.

Security cameras captured the pensioner arriving back to his home on Grove Road in Kings Heath, riding his blue mobility scooter.

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Robert Morrison, 69, died in hospital days after being found with injuries at his home. (SWNS)

Knowles and Mohamed broke into his flat 15 minutes later where they viciously beat and robbed him.

CCTV then caught the pair casually walking to a cash machine where they used Mr Morrison’s bank card, but it was refused.

They then returned to Mr Morrison’s home where they attacked him for a second time before fleeing with a bag of his belongings, including his mobile phone and jewellery.

In total their haul was worth £120.

Mr Morrison was found by a concerned neighbour the next day and was rushed to hospital and treated for bruising to his face and body, and three fractured ribs.

He was discharged later the same day, but his neighbour alerted police because he was still concerned.

Officers forced their way into the flat and found Mr Morrison in agony. He was taken back to hospital but died days later.

A forensic post-mortem revealed he died from pneumonia, which was contracted due to his fractured ribs sustained during the beating.

Knowles, of Smethwick, Birmingham, was identified after police checks on the property saw Mr Morrison had suffered a history of issues with the defendant.

Officers attended his bail hostel and during a search of the property, Knowles returned and was arrested.

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CCTV captured Ian Knowles and Ismaila Mohamed, both 20. (Police)

Footprints recovered from the crime scene, and phone analysis from Knowles’ phone later led detectives to Mohamed, who had previously lived at the same hostel.

A key fob to Mr Morrison’s property was recovered from Mohamed’s room, alongside three watches also belonging to the victim.

Mr Morrison’s phone was also found in Knowles’ address.

Knowles and Mohamed, of Edgbaston, Birmingham, were found guilty of murder and robbery following a four-week trial and on Wednesday, both men were jailed for life at Birmingham Crown Court.

Knowles was ordered to serve a minimum of 19 years including nine years for the robbery and one year 14 days for possession of a knife and cannabis.

Mohamed was jailed for 17 years, including nine years for robbery.

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