A court has heard how a ‘random’ and ‘unnecessary’ act of violence on a Birmingham street ended the life of a respected army veteran, in an attack that has cast a spotlight on crime in the area.
Allen Karam Chand, 82, died five days after being shoved to the ground by Muntahar Ahmed on Soho Road in Handsworth on the afternoon of 14 January 2025. Ahmed, 44, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court on 9 March 2026 and now awaits sentencing.
A minute at a bus stop
The fatal encounter was fleeting and without motive. Mr Chand, who had served in the army, had just alighted from the number 74 bus with Ahmed. They had been at the same bus stop for less than a minute and were strangers to one another.
Shortly after 3.30pm, Ahmed snatched the elderly man’s walking stick and pushed him off the kerb. He then walked away, leaving Mr Chand in the road with what would prove to be catastrophic injuries: a fractured skull and significant bleeding on the brain. Passers-by rushed to assist the injured veteran as he lay on the industrial-area street.
The attack robbed Mr Chand of a crucial aid. For the elderly, walking sticks are not merely mobility devices; they provide external support, improve balance and stability, and offer psychological reassurance, often adopted by individuals themselves to manage postural disorders and prevent falls.
A family’s loss and a suspect’s return
Mr Chand was taken to hospital but died the following weekend. His heartbroken children described him as a “loving, caring” man who “never deceived anyone” and who, as an ex-army man, taught them to respect the law.
In a statement infused with faith, they added: “Our father is not physically with us but he is alive with Lord Jesus.”
Ahmed, who is of no fixed address, was arrested two days after the attack when he returned to Soho Road. He was initially charged with wounding, but this was upgraded to manslaughter following Mr Chand’s death.
An area’s troubling crime context
The shocking fatality occurred in a part of Birmingham with a notably high crime rate. Statistics for the Soho Road area (postcode B21 9LN) show an overall crime rate of 371.5 offences per 1,000 residents in a recent 12-month period—93.3% higher than the Handsworth average.
Violence and sexual offences are the most commonly reported crimes there, with 61 recorded in the past year. Other significant categories include robbery, anti-social behaviour, drug offences, and theft from the person.
This local picture fits within a broader regional context. Birmingham is described as the most dangerous major city in the West Midlands, with an overall crime rate of 104 crimes per 1,000 people in 2026.
A pattern of random violence
The assault on Allen Karam Chand is not an isolated incident of random violence in the city. Just weeks before Ahmed’s guilty plea, in February 2026, 29-year-old Tristan Fretwell was jailed for a random attack in which he punched a woman in the face.
In September 2020, a “random” stabbing in Birmingham city centre left one person dead and two critically injured. Furthermore, in a grim echo of violence against the vulnerable, a teenager sentenced in February 2026 for murdering a 12-year-old boy also admitted to attacking elderly women.
Detective Sergeant Joanne Potter, speaking after Ahmed’s guilty plea, underscored the senselessness of the attack on Mr Chand. “It remains unclear what prompted this attack but it’s clear this was not an act of self-defence,” she stated. “There was no need for Ahmed to do what he did and it has ultimately cost an elderly man his life.”
She described it as an “unnecessary act of violence” from which the pensioner had little chance of surviving. The court will now determine Ahmed’s sentence at a later date.
