A prisoner was caught on CCTV leaving his cell with a smirk on his face before battering a fellow inmate to death at a prison.
Ashirie Smith, 19, murdered Mahir Abdulrahman, 31, by brutally stamping on his head and neck inside his cell at HMP Fosse Way in Leicestershire on August 20 last year.
The victim was found unresponsive by a female prison officer inside his cell with horrific injuries and suffering a cardiac arrest at at 7:45am.
He died at the scene around an hour later, with a post mortem later revealing he died from a sub arachnoid basal haemorrhage – bleeding to an area of the brain.
A court heard Abdulrahman was subjected to taunts by Smith and another inmate, Thierry Robinson, 21, which ended up with him throwing a hot kettle at them.
The next day Smith launched the fatal attack after a prison officer unlocked his cell door before continuing their rounds that morning.
CCTV shows Robinson smirking in the corridor outside Smith’s cell before emerging topless and entering Abdulrahman’s cell.
Smith and Robinson emerge and calmly walk away from the cell just 37 seconds later, leaving Abdulrahman to die. Smith was then seen to re-enter the cell and exit again shortly after having carried out the vicious assault.
Ashirie Smith (right), 19, and Thierry Robinson (left), 21, are seen walking down the corridor before entering the cell belonging to Mahir Abdulrahman, 31
Smith is seen emerging from the cell just 37 seconds later, leaving Abdulrahman to die
Smith (left) was found guilty of murder and was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 17-and-a-half years. Robinson (right) was found not guilty of murder but found guilty of the manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment
Police and ambulance crews were called and found Abdulrahman in cardiac arrest at 7.45am but he could not be saved and died an hour later.
Smith was found guilty of murder and was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 17-and-a-half years at Leicester Crown Court.
Robinson was found not guilty of murder but found guilty of the manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment.
A third defendant Shaan Karim, 38, was found not guilty of murder and not guilty of manslaughter.
Detective Inspector Mark Parish, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: ‘The injuries suffered by Mahir Abdulrahman showed a serious, sustained attack had taken place which ultimately led to his death.
‘Thanks to the hard work of the investigation team, Smith and Robinson have been convicted in court and will now have to face responsibility for their actions.’
Serco Prison Director Wyn Jones said: ‘Any death in prison is a tragedy but the murder of Mr Abdulrahman was a heinous act.
‘My thoughts remain with his family and those affected by his untimely death.
‘Since the tragedy, our focus has been to bring those responsible to justice by working with the police to secure a conviction.
‘I hope the verdicts will bring closure for his family.’
