Man jailed for life in murder of 17-year-old at Solihull vape shop; defendant taunts family in court

A 19-year-old man shouted at the victim's family as he was jailed for life after being convicted of the murder of a 17-year-old inside a vape shop in Solihull.

At Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, Abdurrahman Summers was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 19 years for the killing of Reuben Higgins. Two 16-year-old defendants, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were also convicted of murder and given minimum terms of 17 and 15 years respectively.

Prosecutors said Higgins was stabbed to death shortly after 6 p.m. on Oct. 29 last year inside the Vape Minimarket in Marston Green, Solihull, following a confrontation with a group of four youths. CCTV footage shown at trial, the judge said, captured Higgins desperately trying to hide inside the shop and using his body to barricade the door before the group forced their way in and carried out a frenzied knife attack.

Medical evidence presented at trial showed Higgins sustained a fatal wound to the heart, two stab wounds to the thigh and one to the arm; one wound penetrated about 15 centimetres. Moments after being stabbed, Higgins pleaded with a shop worker, "Call an ambulance, I'm dying." Paramedics arrived quickly but he died at the scene from catastrophic blood loss.

A fourth suspect, who prosecutors believe delivered the fatal blow, fled to Pakistan after the attack and remains at large. West Midlands Police said the search for that individual is ongoing.

Judge Paul Farrer KC told the court that Higgins, by reason of his age and circumstances, was vulnerable. The judge said Higgins was unarmed, did not want trouble and was backing away in an effort to avoid confrontation, while the defendants left their homes armed and prepared for trouble.

Summers, who had previous convictions for six robberies and for possessing a knife, shouted toward Higgins's family as he was sentenced. During the trial he also had an angry outburst after the guilty verdicts and shouted, "I'm f***ing innocent," the court heard. After the killing he bought a bus ticket to Spain but later handed himself in, the court was told.

The two convicted 16-year-olds were given differing minimum terms. One, described in mitigation as the most "aggressive" attacker but not the person who delivered the fatal blow, received a 17-year minimum term. The other, found to have assisted and encouraged the attack, received a 15-year minimum term. At a hearing on Friday, Judge Farrer refused a media application to name the two youths after hearing evidence about potential harm to their welfare and prospects for rehabilitation, saying it was "not in the interests of justice."

In mitigation, counsel for the younger defendants told the court both had suffered difficult upbringings, with one said to have experienced physical abuse and the other described as having an unstable childhood and being influenced by older peers. One barrister also said his client had neurodevelopmental conditions that made him susceptible to coercion.

In an emotional victim statement read to the court, Higgins's father, Dominic Higgins, called his son "precious" and said his world had fallen apart. Higgins's mother, Sarah Cooke, described her son as "my best friend," and his stepmother, Polly Hudson, called the attackers "heinous," urging an end to young men killing young men.

Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell of West Midlands Police described the assault as "a cowardly and sickening attack on a defenseless young boy who was significantly outnumbered," and said the offenders' "callous actions" had a devastating impact on Higgins's family and friends. She said investigators would continue efforts to trace the fourth suspect and bring him to justice.

The three convicted defendants were returned to custody pending transfer to the prison service to begin serving their sentences. The Crown Prosecution Service said the case demonstrated the serious consequences of knife crime and that authorities remain committed to pursuing those who flee the jurisdiction.