R v Mohammed Ibrahim

Facts

The appellant, Mohammed Ibrahim, was one of eight people prosecuted in connection with a night-time raid on a home in Coventry. Shortly after midnight on 19 June 2023 Daniel Ha and his partner, Ms Somjettana, were asleep when they were woken by their front door being kicked in; between three and six men in ski masks or balaclavas, each armed with a knife or machete, burst into the bedroom demanding watches, car keys and money. Ms Somjettana was forced to her knees and threatened, and Mr Ha was dragged downstairs. Goods worth approximately £45,000 were taken, including a Suron electric dirt bike, a Rolex watch, iPhones, the keys to Mr Ha's BMW and the car itself; only the Rolex was recovered. Automatic Number Plate Recognition enquiries linked a Citroën Berlingo van seen leaving the scene to the appellant's Mazda, and arrests followed on 4 November 2023. At a trial in the Crown Court at Birmingham before His Honour Judge Rochford and a jury, the appellant was convicted of theft and acquitted of handling stolen goods and of having an offensive weapon; the jury could not agree on aggravated burglary and a re-trial was ordered. He later pleaded guilty to burglary as an alternative, and was sentenced to 27 months' imprisonment. He appealed against sentence with the leave of the single judge.