Latest news straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A college student armed with a meat cleaver launched terrifying robberies to clear drug debts - targeting five young victims in one hour.

Warsame Farah, 20, now faces deportation after committing the broad daylight offences in Digbeth on October 28.

Birmingham Crown Court heard five students were attacked by the meat-cleaver-wielding robber who was after their mobile phones.

Farah held the weapon to a man's throat at the entrance of a university building, then punched a female in the face before threatening to stab her.

Two other victims dropped their phones in fear when the thug raised the meat cleaver and made a chopping motion.

A fifth victim fled when he flashed the blade.

Farah, said to be a cannabis addict, targeted victims for their phones in a bid to repay a drug debt as he feared repercussions from the dealers, the court heard.

(Image: WMP)

He was jailed for three robberies, two attempted robberies, and possessing a bladed weapon in public.

Farah could now be deported after serving his prison sentence back to Holland - where he was born before moving to Birmingham.

The court heard how the terrifying incidents started at around 12.30pm, with the ambush of two friends.

The students were walking along Watery Lane Middleway talking when armed Farah was seen heading towards them.

As he passed, he tapped one of the two men on the shoulder and was heard demanding: "Hey, give me your phone."

They at first refused, but Farah then brandished the meat cleaver at shoulder height while making a horrifying chopping motion.

Both victims handed over their phones.

At 12.55pm Farah targeted another student outside Birmingham City University's Curzon B bulding.

He approached the victim as he was walking into the building and pulled the meat cleaver from his tracksuit bottoms.

He said: "Give me your f***** phone" and placed the blade against the victim's neck, but he continued to resist. Farah then shoved him against a wall but members of the public intervened and the victim was able to escape inside the building.

Just seven minutes later Farah attacked another BCU student, outside the University Locks.

She was using her red iPhone when he snatched it from her hands.

Mr Graham Russell, prosecuting, said: "She tried to snatch it back but was rewarded with a punch to the eye. Despite receiving that blow, she continued to try to retrieve her phone."

Farah then shoved her backwards and shouted: "F*** off or I'll stab you."

She then backed away as the defendant fled the scene towards Curzon bridge - where he was caught on CCTV.

At 1.07pm he met his final victim, who was also using his mobile phone while walking along.

"He looked up and thinking that the defendant was going to pass him, he moved out of the way," the court heard.

Farah flashed the meat cleaver at the victim, leaving him so stunned he stumbled and dropped his phone on the ground.

The terrified victim fled the scene and kept running until he reached a business on Great Barr Street - where he reported the crime to the police.

Within that single hour, West Midlands Police had received a string of armed robbery reports from his shaken victims.

"When police found Farah, he was in possession of four stolen mobile phones, he was sweating profusely and his right knuckle had traces of blood on it, there was no sign of the cleaver," Mr Russell added.

Ms Theresa Hunt, defending, said Farah was remorseful and had no previous convictions.

"He is sorry to the victims, sorry to his family, sorry to the court. He never foresaw that he would end up in these circumstances," she told the court.

"He was trying to repay this drug debt. He was regularly given [cannabis] without paying. He didn't appreciate that debt. He was terrified of the repercussions with the drug dealers.

"He didn't want it coming back to his family's door. He was seeking to make them proud of him."

Sentencing Farah to six years, Judge Buckingham QC said: "You are only 20 years of age and this will be your first experience of prison. You also face the possibility of deportation at the end of it.

"I am prepared to accept that this was because of a drug debt.

"You decided to choose violence, you decided to arm yourself and having committed the first offence, it was not enough for you to realise how dangerous and terrible your conduct was and you carried on to commit four offences."