PRISONER JAILED FOR KILLING CELLMATE IN LEICESTER CELL ATTACK
THIS is the shocking moment when two prisoners, Ashirie Smith and Thierry Robinson, are seen smirking before they carried out a brutal 37-second attack on a fellow inmate in his cell at HMP Fosse Way in Leicester on August 20 of the previous year.The article describes how Smith, aged 19, and Robinson, aged 21, launched a savage assault on Mahir Abdulrahman, 31, after a period of taunts and threats that had taken place over several weeks, culminating in Abdulrahman throwing a hot kettle at them during an earlier altercation.
CCTV footage shows Smith, who was topless, and Robinson, wearing a dressing gown, entering Abdulrahman’s cell for about 37 seconds before walking out.
During the attack, Smith stomped on Abdulrahman’s head and neck amid horrific injuries.
A female prison officer found Abdulrahman unresponsive with serious injuries, and paramedics declared him dead at the scene at 7:45 am.
The cause of death was identified as a subarachnoid basal hemorrhage, bleeding to a brain area.
The court heard that Smith had been subjected to ongoing taunts from Abdulrahman, who was serving time for a sexual offence, which led to other inmates threatening him.
Abdulrahman had even asked to move cells due to feeling unsafe.
Smith, who was in prison for firearms offences, carried out the attack after a prison officer unlocked his cell and left Abdulrahman alone.
CCTV evidence showed the pair re-entered and shortly after left Abdulrahman’s cell following the assault.
Smith was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 17 and a half years.
Robinson was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 years.
A third defendant, Shaan Karim, was acquitted of all charges.
The court was told that Karim had considered intervening but did not.
Detective Inspector Mark Parish commented that Abdulrahman suffered a serious, sustained attack that led to his death, and the investigation secured convictions for Smith and Robinson.
Serco Prison Director Wyn Jones called the murder heinous and expressed condolences to Abdulrahman’s family, emphasizing the importance of justice for his untimely death.
