Winson Green murder trial gets underway

Court artist's impression of the eight defendants
Court artist's impression of the eight defendants Photo: ITN

The eight defendants accused of murdering three men during the riots last August have appeared in court today.

The court was told their conduct and their driving was murder and nothing less.

Haroon Jahan and brothers Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir died after being struck down by a car in the Winson Green area of Birmingham in August last year.

They were killed against a backdrop of last summer's rioting and looting.

Today in court, footage of the moment the men were struck by the car was shown for the first time.

Before the jury was about to see the CCTV footage they were warned to be prepared that they were about to see some shocking pictures.

They then saw the moment of impact of the car striking and then men being thrown into the air.

As the pictures were shown to the court, there were loud gasps and sobs from the public gallery.

The prosecutor Tim Spencer QC told them:

"The driving you've just seen was not chance. It was not accidental. It was deliberate and coordinated. It was the modern equivalent of a chariot charge. And it was deadly."

The court heard that the 8 defendants were in 3 different cars - with Ian Beckford and Everton Graham driving the car that struck the three victims.

The prosecution argue that only one car hit the men, but all the defendants "were in it together."

All eight men deny the murder charges.

The trial continues.