Thug who threatened to kill boy unless his family paid ransom caught after DNA on chocolate bar wrapper gave him away
Mohammed Islam jailed for eight years for luring teen into his flat and demanding cash to free him
A TEEN thug who kidnapped a boy and threatened to kill him unless his family paid up £300 was caught by cops after leaving a half-eaten chocolate bar at the scene of the crime.
Mohammed Islam, 19, baited the victim to his apartment in Druids Heath, Birmingham, using a girl he knew as a ploy to get him inside.
When the boy arrived, Islam held a knife to his throat and forced him into his bedroom, where he hit him, bound his hands and made him sit on the floor.
At this point, he told his 18-year-old victim he would stab him unless his friends and family members paid a ransom into his bank account.
Islam nonchalantly ate a Cadbury’s Wispa bar during the three-hour ordeal on March 25, leaving traces of his DNA on the wrapper.
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The victim managed to make a break for it when Islam was distracted, grabbing the half-eaten chocolate bar as he went running to the nearest house for help.
DNA traces found on the half-eaten Wispa were directly matched to Islam, and he was later picked out in an identification parade by the victim.
The 19-year-old has now been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to robbery, false imprisonment and blackmail.
Speaking to Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, Judge Simon Drew QC said: “This was an horrific series of offences committed against a victim seriously traumatised by what took place.
“It is difficult to imagine what it must be like for someone to find themselves in a vulnerable and intimidating situation.
“Threats and violence of this sort are particularly serious.
“This was a horrific, terrifying series of events.
“I have to have doubt how much, if any, progress has been made.
“Text messages recovered from your phone revealed the true nature of the planning that had taken place, you deliberately identified a vulnerable victim.
“It is the sort of case where there needs to be an extended sentence to reflect the threat you face to society as a whole.”
Speaking on the case, DC Darran Ford, from Bournville CID, said: “This was a callous, planned attack that had great impact on the victim and his family, who I hope have now been offered some closure.
“I would like to pay tribute to the victim and his incredible presence of mind to grab the Wispa bar immediately before escaping.
“This played a crucial role in bringing Mohammed Islam to justice.
“I hope the eight-year prison term gives him some time out to think about the effects of his actions on the family, as well as serving a stark warning to anyone wishing to carry a knife on the streets.”
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