Second man jailed following stabbing of peace keeper in Manchester who tragically lost his life

Kevell Blake, 21, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on January 10 to eight years for the manslaughter of Badri Issa, 22. At an earlier hearing Raami Mohamed, 22, was sentenced to life imprisonment for Mr Issa’s murder.

Badri Issa was stabbed when he intervened and tried to de-escalate what was described as a ‘volatile situation’ on Princess Road in Manchester city centre on October 25 2023. Mr Issa saw two men arguing and put himself in the middle of the two, who were later named as Raami Mohamed and Kevell Blake.

Violence erupted and Mohamed stabbed Mr Issa once to the chest whilst Blake punched the driver in the face. The driver saw his friend fall to the floor and called the emergency services.

Mohamed was arrested on the evening of October 26 and refused to comment in his police interview. Blake handed himself in to Ashton Police station four days later on October 30 and he also gave no comment in his police interview.

Following a trial which concluded in May, Mohamed was found guilty of murder and Blake was found guilty of manslaughter. On June 7 Mohamed was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years. Following a referral to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme on September 6, Mohamed’s previous sentence was quashed and a new sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years and 145 days was imposed.

Jayne Sharp, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in the North West, said: “Badri Issa was an unarmed peacemaker who got caught in the crossfire as he tried to de-escalate a volatile situation and tragically lost his life.

“Far from being remorseful, Raami Mohamed and Kevell Blake fled the scene leaving Mr Issa to die. They further sought to evade justice by disposing of the knife and the car.

“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Mr Issa and all those who have been affected by his death.”