"He had the cheekiest smile that could brighten the darkest day:" Mum of murdered Peterborough teenager Ben Procter speaks of 'unbearable pain' of losing beloved son

Ben (19), died when he was rammed off his bike by a car driven by Shwan Sabah, 24, after he was caught breaking into a car compound in Wellington Street, Peterborough, on 15 September last year.

Sabah was convicted of murder and a trial last month.

Also in the car was Ako Mohammad, 34, who was found guilty of manslaughter.

Today, (Friday, July 11) the pair, and two other defendants, Zamkar Mohammad-Majid, 47, and Hawkar Mohammadi, 40, appeared at Cambridge Crown Court for sentencing.

Emma Procter, Ben’s mum, addressed the court to say how the death had left the entire family ‘shattered.’

“Ben matters. His life matters.”

She said: “There is unbearable pain following the loss of my son Ben.

"There are no words to express the pain and loss we feel.

"I stand here because Ben matters. His life matters."

Mrs Procter said her husband, Tim, was unable to attend the hearing as it was too distressing.

She said: “Ben was only 19-years-old. He had the cheekiest smile and a sense of humour that could brighten the darkest day.”

"Nothing can bring him back, nothing can undo the pain inflicted upon us."

She said: “The weight of grief is something that we carry in every moment.

"Nothing can bring him back, nothing can undo the pain inflicted upon us.

“We miss Ben every second of every day. Our family will never be whole again.”

She described how Ben was ‘vulnerable’ and ‘easily manipulated’ which led him to become involved in the incident last year.

Sabah, of Holdich Street, Peterborough, was found guilty of murder, false imprisonment, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, by unanimous verdict.

The court has heard he faces a mandatory life sentence.

Mohammad, of Oundle Road, Peterborough, was found guilty by a majority verdict of manslaughter. He was found guilty by unanimous verdict of false imprisonment.

He had already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Mohammad-Majid, and Mohammadi, both of Lincoln Road, New England, Peterborough, were both found guilty of false imprisonment and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by unanimous verdict.

The sentencing hearing will continue on the afternoon of Friday, July 11.

‘Cover up’ began after he was rammed off bike

The trial heard how Sabah, 24 and Mohammad, 34, pursued and then drove at Ben Procter, 19, after he was caught breaking into a car compound in Wellington Street, Peterborough, on 15 September last year.

After knocking him from his bike in Boongate at about 10.20pm, the men dragged him from underneath a hedge, unconscious but still alive, and dumped him in the vehicle’s boot.

Rather than calling emergency services, Sabah and Mohammad drove to First Drove, in Fengate, where they met Mohammad-Majid, 47, and Mohammadi, 40, who helped in an attempt to cover up the crime and destroy evidence.

They then returned to the car compound where the incident started and Mohammad called 999 once he believed Ben had died, almost an hour-and-a-half after the collision.

Ben, from Peterborough, was pronounced dead by paramedics at 12.36am the following day.

Cambridgeshire Police said that Mohammad remained at the scene to begin the cover up. He said he had gone to the compound, which he rented to store vehicles, after receiving phone CCTV notifications and seeing there were intruders.

He lied, saying on his arrival, he had found the teenager sat on the ground, asking for water. He went to find water, but on his return, he claimed Ben had become unresponsive and dialled 999.

However, the first officers to the scene noticed Ben was only wearing one trainer and had other injuries not consistent with a fall.