'My son was shot dead by his own brother in pointless row over trainers'

A parent has opened her bosom implicit the grief she's endured since her lone lad was killed by his ain half-brother - successful an statement implicit a brace of trainers.

Zikel Bobmanuel, 31, was changeable dormant by his half-brother, Rumaal Ingram, 36, successful an onslaught extracurricular Zikel’s household home. The spot wherever helium died indispensable beryllium passed astir regular by his devastated mother, Justina, but she cannot carnivore to look astatine it.

Justina, 52, from Manchester, says she is devastated that a lad she welcomed into her household - Ingram - has present been liable for sidesplitting her beloved son. Just 1 week earlier, Ingram had hugged her astatine her father’s funeral.

Recruitment consultancy proprietor Justina, from Manchester, says: “Zikel and Rumaal were half-brothers and were precise adjacent arsenic children. They drifted a spot aboriginal on, but I could ne'er person imagined successful my worst nightmare that Rumaal would instrumentality my lad from me. Zikel ran his ain clothing business, and Rumaal was wearing 1 of Zikel’s coats erstwhile helium killed him. I’d buried my ain begetter the week before, and Rumaal came to the funeral. He helped to capable the grave. Days later, helium killed my son.

“Zikel’s decease was truthful senseless, and it has ripped our household apart. I lone anticipation our calamity tin marque radical alert however devastating unit tin be. I cannot adjacent look astatine the spot wherever Zikel died. I person flashbacks to him lying successful the road. His youngest lad was conscionable six weeks aged erstwhile helium died. Ingram has near children without a begetter and a parent without a son.”

Zikel and Rumaal shared the aforesaid begetter and were raised arsenic brothers. Justina says: “As a small boy, Rumaal was often successful my home, I welcomed him. Even aft I divided with their dad, the boys stayed successful touch. As adults they drifted a little, and we heard Rumaal was getting into trouble.

“I was truly arrogant of Zikel, helium was my lone child. He was bully astatine school, his teachers said helium was adjuvant and kind. Later helium worked arsenic a civilian technologist and had besides started his ain online covering company, which helium named aft his daughter. He’d adjacent talented a overgarment to Rumaal which helium was wearing connected the time helium killed him.

“Zikel had a large heart, and helium did thing for his friends. He was handsome excessively and had nary shortage of girlfriends. He’d conscionable settled down and had a babe son, six weeks earlier helium died.”

In March 2023, Zikel visited Justina, to assistance wide retired his precocious grandfather’s house. Rumaal Ingram had attended the ceremonial the erstwhile week. Justina says: “Zikel was arguing connected the phone. He’d fixed 5 pairs of trainers to a friend, Emmanuel Onasanya, who ran a cleaning business, charging £20 per pair. Because Zikel took a mates of months to cod his trainers, the terms went up to £30 a pair.

“Zikel was blessed to wage the agreed charge, but refused to wage the higher 1 and Onasanya was arguing back. Then for immoderate reason, Rumaal got progressive and threatened to sprout Zikel. Obviously we didn’t instrumentality it seriously; it was a insignificant spat implicit trainers, and it had thing astatine each to bash with Rumaal, isolated from the information that helium knew some men.

“Besides, Rumaal was family. I would ne'er person imagined helium had a gun, oregon that helium would sprout his ain brother.”

Zikel near the location to conscionable his member and a abbreviated clip later, Justina heard a popping sound which she did not subordinate with a gunshot. She says: “Zikel didn’t travel back, and I started to worry. I went extracurricular and determination were bluish lights astatine the bottommost of the street. I ran down there, I conscionable knew. But determination was a cordon successful place.”

Justina aboriginal learned Zikel had died successful the thoroughfare aft being changeable by Rumaal who past near the scene. Justina says: “Zikel’s assemblage was successful the thoroughfare until 11pm that nighttime and I couldn’t carnivore the thought of him being alone. I begged the constabulary to fto maine spot him but I volition ne'er hide seeing my lad similar that.” Zikel was buried with his grandfather, Bob.

A proceedings astatine Manchester Crown Court heard however a slug was fired into the ground, earlier it "fragmented" and ricocheted hitting Zikel successful the cervix and sidesplitting him. Ingram denied intending to termination oregon earnestly harm, claiming helium had brought the weapon to lone arsenic a menace and fired it arsenic a "warning" to "scare" Zikel.

The tribunal besides heard that 2 months earlier, Ingram had been astatine the country of different shooting. Four shots were fired into a location successful Halifax, West Yorkshire, connected January 29, wherever a pistillate and her children were present.

Ingram was not the gunman but helium was seen "filming" the shooting connected a mobile phone. He was lone arrested for this offence aft being charged with Zikel’s murder. He pleaded blameworthy to possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Onasanya said helium had nary thought that Ingram had a weapon oregon that helium knew a shooting was to instrumentality place. The tribunal heard Onasanya "accepts" helium had driven to the country with Ingram though said helium had "no thought determination was going to beryllium violence". Prosecutors alleged that Onasanya "must person known and did cognize that a weapon would beryllium brought to the scene".

After the shooting, Onasanya got backmost into the car. But a fewer minutes aboriginal helium was reported to person returned to the country and took photos of Zikel connected the level astatine a clip erstwhile helium was already dormant oregon "very adjacent to it". Onasanya was acquitted of manslaughter. Ingram pleaded blameworthy to manslaughter and was acquitted of murder.

In her connection to the court, Justina said: "Every clip I person a bath I perceive a popular noise, each clip I americium successful my garden, I tin spot my lad laic connected the floor, each clip I beryllium successful my surviving room, I tin spot my lad laic successful his coffin. I can’t adjacent spell down the thoroughfare wherever it happened, I can’t adjacent look successful that absorption due to the fact that each I spot is my lad lying there.

"I don’t cognize whether to determination oregon stay, truthful I person his memories successful the house. I consciousness blameworthy for not getting retired of the bath sooner, I consciousness blameworthy for not trying to halt him going retired of the location and I should person tried harder. I americium perpetually playing it successful my caput arsenic I spell done the unspeakable series of the event, and I conscionable anticipation helium didn’t suffer."

Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale said that Ingram, who has erstwhile convictions for convulsive upset and assisting an offender, was a unsafe criminal. She said a beingness condemnation was indispensable to support the public. Ingram was jailed successful June for beingness and volition service a 16-year minimum sentence. But Justina says: “I felt wholly fto down by the tribunal process. They some near my lad to dice successful the street. I don’t consciousness we’ve had justness astatine all.”

She went on: “Nothing volition bring my lad back. Nothing volition easiness my pain," but stresses: “I americium speaking retired against unit connected our streets. If it saves 1 life, past that is immoderate comfortableness to me.”