Three men jailed for life for the murder of Sadiq Al-Lami
Three men—Sultan Bakr, Sikander Babar, and Abdul Wahab Babar—were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Sadiq Al-Lami in East Didsbury. The attack occurred in January 2024, where Al-Lami was stabbed 11 times. Evidence, including a dropped parcel and DNA from a cigarette and balloons, linked the defendants to the crime. The men attempted to evade arrest by discarding evidence, fleeing Manchester, and even attempting to leave the country illegally. The court found no remorse from the defendants, who tried to shift blame during the trial.
Three men who stabbed a stranger eleven times at a traffic junction in East Didsbury have been jailed for life, while two others were cleared of any involvement in the killing.
Sultan Bakr, 23, of Hyde Road, Gorton, and brothers Sikander Babar, 25, and Abdul Wahab Babar, 19, both of Ashdale Drive, Withington, were convicted of murdering Sadiq Al-Lami following a month-long trial at Minshull Street Crown Court. The jury found Noraiz Kamal, 19, and Yousaf Ahmed, 25, not guilty of murder or manslaughter.
The fatal attack occurred in the early hours of Monday 22 January 2024, when 28-year-old Sadiq Al-Lami was driving to meet a friend. As he waited at traffic lights near Parrs Wood, a black Mercedes pulled alongside his vehicle. Three men emerged and launched a vicious assault, stabbing Al-Lami eleven times as he attempted to escape.
A witness told police they saw the attackers flee in the Mercedes, leaving the victim mortally wounded. Despite emergency services’ efforts, Al-Lami died at the scene from his injuries.
The killers embarked on an elaborate cover-up, abandoning their vehicle in Wythenshawe and taking a taxi home. However, their escape plan unravelled when detectives discovered a parcel addressed to Kamal at the crime scene, along with a cigarette and balloons containing the defendants’ DNA.
Armed officers arrested Kamal at his South Manchester home, triggering a chain of events that exposed the conspiracy. Within seconds of police arriving, Kamal made a ten-second call to Sikander Babar, whose phone immediately went inactive.
While the killers tried to resume normal life - with Abdul Babar booking a haircut and Bakr ordering takeaways - police were closing in. Phone analysis revealed Babar had searched Manchester Evening News for reports of the attack just hours after it happened, later messaging about fleeing to Pakistan.
Bakr was arrested in London days later after buying coach tickets under false names. The Babar brothers were discovered hiding in a lorry at an Essex recycling centre on 29 January, attempting to flee the country illegally.
Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson of Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team said: “Sadiq lost his life in such a cold and senseless attack. These men had a choice that night and for reasons only known to them, they chose to resort to violence. They have shown no remorse for their actions, and from the very start they have tried to destroy evidence, distance themselves from this attack, even turning against each other in court to try and shift the blame.”
Al-Lami’s family described him as “a son, brother, uncle, a husband, and a friend for many. Each and every single person that knew him will be impacted in their own way. His memories will live with us and will be forever cherished.”
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