A major Birmingham dual carriageway has been described as a 'gang territory road' separating two sets of deadly rivals, a court has heard. The A34 Birchfield Road in north Birmingham serves as the border between opposing turf in Handsworth and Aston, according to evidence presented in a murder trial.
The trial concerns the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Yassin Alama, who was killed on Hutton Road, Handsworth, at around 5.20pm on Sunday, November 16 last year. Birmingham Crown Court heard that Mr Alama was associated with Aston-based gangs, while his alleged killer, 17-year-old Oumar Traore, now 18, was a rival 'B20' gangster who lived on the street where the attack occurred.
Postcode Gang War
Although Mr Alama lived in a B20 postcode area, for Handsworth, the area was claimed by rival gangsters in the Aston A6 area because it fell to the east of the A34. The jury was shown a map of north Birmingham detailing the close proximity of postcode areas and how they bordered each other.
The B21 area (Handsworth) and B20 area (Handsworth Wood), where gangs were said to be allied, were colour-coded red and purple respectively. The B19 (Lozells and Newtown) and B6 (Aston) areas, where gangs were friendly to each other but rivals to those in B20 and B21, were highlighted in blue.
Gang Colours and Violence
Pc Gareth Evans, who has worked in Birmingham gang intelligence since 2010, said the groups used colours to represent themselves. He told the court: 'I have seen them in bandanas, seen them in social media emojis. They can wear anything they want (featuring the colours), sometimes they can wear shoe laces. Mostly it's part of social media and clothing, particularly bandanas.'
Referring to the map, Pc Evans said the gangs did not adhere to precise boundaries. He explained: 'They don't abide by the direct postcodes. If I was to look at that map, look at the road that goes down the middle. The A34 (Birchfield Road). That's a gang territory road. The left-hand side is B20. Despite the right side of the road being a B20 postcode, it is more link to Aston gang nominals.' He later pointed out that Mr Alama's home street was on the east side of the A34.
Elaborating on the nature of the gang rivalries, Pc Evans said: 'Violence. Tensions. A lack of care around who gets hurt, often followed by social media and mocking. The violence affects the community itself. I think back to a number of incidents, a bullet going into a child's (car) chair from a shooting. It is significant violence associated with the same gangs over and over again, who rep (represent) postcodes in these areas.'
Traore has denied charges of murder and possessing a knife in public. The trial continues.
