WHEN a 17-year-old twin boy was ambushed by a drug gang and brutally beaten, Detective Sergeant Tom Hamm, who led the investigation, felt it hit close to home.
“This case, for me was quite emotional because the victim was a twin and I have twin boys of similar ages to him and the parallel of how my children’s lives and the difficulties and circumstances of his life was something that played on my mind,” says Tom.
CCTV shows the 17-year-old victim and his friend at the scene of the incident Credit: Channel 4
Mohammed Hamid was found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm Credit: Bedfordshire Police
“I could put myself in the position of his parents and how I would feel if I got that knock on the door from a police officer saying one of them had been hurt.
“This, by the grace of God, could be me.
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“And I understand how it would affect the other twin.
“They do share a different bond than other siblings I think.
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Hamid was sentenced to 10 years and nine months in jail Credit: The Garden Productions
The investigation into why the boy was beaten was led by Detective Sergeant Tom Hamm Credit: Channel 4
“Knowing how close mine are, if one of them is suddenly not there, it does affect them deeply.”
He had another reason to feel personally attached because of an enduring regret over the loss in quick succession of first his father and then his mother.
Tom’s personal feelings are evident in the two-part documentary, 24 Hours in Police Custody, in which he and his team investigate the mystery of why a 17-year-old boy was left critically injured on the roadside after suffering catastrophic head injuries.
Detective Sergeant Tom Hamm took the case personally and described it as “emotional” Credit: Channel 4
Hamid was arrested but the four attackers have never been identified Credit: The Garden Productions
“Initially, we didn’t know who the victim was, and we were working hard to establish his identity,” says Tom, who has now retired from Luton CID after 22 years of service.
At first, it looked like a hit and run but as all the injuries were to his head, medics believed they were inconsistent with a car collision.
When the victim’s twin brother arrived at the police station, he told them that he believed his brother had come to Luton from London to meet a girl.
But then he learnt on social media that he had been involved in some sort of altercation,
With the victim lying in hospital in a life-threatening coma, Tom told his team their priority was to get his family by his bedside as soon as possible.
With no one coming forward to say what happened, police searched CCTV footage of the area and a dramatic scene played out before their eyes.
The victim is seen with another youth a few minutes before he is attacked getting into the back of a Lexus car in the early hours of the morning in a car park.
Less than a minute later, they get out and a blue BMW starts up and tries to run the pair over.
As they run away, four men, dressed in black with hoodies masking their faces, give chase carrying baseball bats and a machete.
The 17-year-old is caught and severely beaten, leaving him unconscious on the ground.
It had all the signs of an ambush as detectives began to piece together a picture of a violent turf war between rival drug dealers.
They focused attention on a mystery woman who seemed to have been used to lure the victim to the first car – in a possible drug deal – and then call someone in the BMW.
She was identified as Jasmine Aldridge, known for drug supply and sex work.
She was found and arrested but said no comment to every question asked of her.
The driver of the car she was in was identified as her boyfriend.
He told police that Jasmine was a drug addict who he has been trying to help get clean.
On the night of the attack she had asked him if they could go to Domino’s for a pizza and he had parked his car in the nearby car park.
It was then that she told him she was going to meet someone.
“I didn’t ask anything else,” he explained in his police interview.
“When you are dealing with a drug addict, you have to gain their trust, slowly, and I know she tells a lot of lies.
“She got out to make a phone call and then got back in the car where she was joined by two boys.
“I had no idea what they were doing on the back seat but they were only there for less than a minute.
“When they got out and walked away, I saw the blue BMW roar towards them and then the four men chasing after them.
“I was speechless. I asked my girlfriend if she knew anything about what had happened and she said, ‘No. I have no idea.’”
An examination of Jasmine’s phone showed that on 3 June, 2022, the day after the attack, she had looked at a news article on the internet with the headline “Man found seriously injured in the road after suspected hit and run in Luton.”
She had also made contact with a telephone number just before the assault took place.
That number was linked to a man already known to police – Mohammed Hamid.
He was arrested at his home where police found Class A drugs on him, as well bundles of cash and a samurai sword.
On his phone were several pictures of him and Jasmine smiling together.
During his interview, he made no comment.
But in a written statement he said “I deny the allegation of attempted murder.
“I am not involved in the attack.
“In relation to the drugs that were found on my person, they were for personal use only.
“The money found on me was my benefits.”
His phone was tracked as being in the car park at the time of the attack and to the place where the car was found dumped.
Forensic examination of the stolen BMW provided evidence that Hamid had been in the driver’s seat.
Hamid was found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to 10 years and nine months in jail.
Jasmine Aldrich was also charged with conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm but was found not guilty.
The four attackers have never been identified.
“It’s hugely frustrating for me that there are still people out there who are responsible for the devastating injuries that were caused to the victim,” says Tom.
“It’s probably one of my biggest regrets in over 20 years that we have not been able to identify them.
“But this case will never be fully closed.
“I am hopeful that at some point we may be able to identify the four that got away.”
Following six months in critical care, the victim was able to return home.
“It was thought he would lose sight in both eyes but he has regained his sight although he does now have to wear quite strong glasses,” says Tom.
“He has problems with his hearing and he lacks some movement in his left arm and he walks with a limp.
“He’s got a steel plate in his head. It was a vicious attack.
“Drug dealing and drug use effects all of us.
“It can’t all fall on the police to arrest our way out of it.
“We can’t just say, ‘Well, it’s down to the parents.’ I’ve met the parents in this case.
“They are lovely, kind people who adore their children.
“The dad’s extremely hardworking. He had two jobs to support the elder daughter through university.
“I think that’s another reason why I can see some of that parallel in my life, because I like to think my family is kind, engaging and hard-working, too.
“And it shows that this kind of thing can happen to any family.
“Kids today are drawn into the drugs world by what they see as the wealth of it, having the latest smartphone, having the Gucci top.
“So, you do need schools to play a part.
“It can’t just be a matter for the police.
“Because, if it is, it’s never going to be resolved.
“It takes the community to raise a child.”
24 Hours in Police Custody is on Channel 4 this Jattvibeday, with the concluding part shown next week.
