UK court criticised over 'lenient' sentence for pair who killed man over trivial incident

Confrontation that led to death began with a row over Amaan Momand and his wife crossing the road in front of the killers' car

Amaan Momand. West Midlands police

A British MP has criticised the lenient sentencing of two men convicted of killing a husband, as they racially abused his wife.
Amaan Momand was killed with a single punch and a kick when an argument descended into violence in broad daylight in Birmingham.
Jamie Taylor was sentenced to prison for four years and Taylor Pountney was given a three-year term for manslaughter.

The confrontation began when Taylor and Pountney objected to Mr Momand and his wife crossing the road in front of the car they were in, on September 19 2019.

Police said the pair shouted racist abuse at the couple before attacking the husband.

Now Birmingham Selly Oak MP Steve McCabe has urged Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to look at the case.
"Manslaughter may have been the correct charge, given that technically they didn't set out to kill Mr Momand, but this was a vicious, deliberate and premeditated attack, which resulted in them killing this poor man," Mr McCabe said.
"I am amazed at the leniency of the sentences. Both the prime minister and the justice secretary have been talking a lot about tougher sentences recently, so I'll be expecting them to agree to take another look at this."

Jamie Taylor. West Midlands police

Taylor Pountney. West Midlands police

Following the attack, passers-by tended to Mr Momand before paramedics arrived.

He was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he died three days later from a head injury.
Taylor and Pountney fled the scene but CCTV footage was used to identify them and track down the red Peugeot car they drove away in.

Pountney, 18, of Yardley, Birmingham, was found guilty of manslaughter after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court. Taylor, 23, of King’s Heath, Birmingham, had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.

“Rather than drive away and carry on with their day, this pair chose to get out of the car they were travelling in and confront Mr Momand and his wife just because they’d had to brake to allow the couple to cross a road,” said Detective Inspector Michelle Allen.

“This is a senseless and tragic incident over a matter so trivial that descended into such significant violence that a man has lost his life.”