A man who threw roof tiles at police during a rooftop standoff has been jailed for 72 weeks after admitting 17 offences. Husum Ghnaimat, 26, of Hubert Road, Birmingham, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on October 12 after a ten-day crime spree that began and ended with him being filmed by bystanders.
Rooftop Standoff in Selly Oak
On March 16, Ghnaimat perched on rooftops in Selly Oak and lobbed tiles downwards, damaging several parked vehicles. One tile crashed through a skylight and struck a woman on the head. The court heard that police were called to his address following reports of aggressive shouting, and he fled out the back of his property before being spotted on a rooftop in Bristol Road.
Prosecutor Sarah Slater said Ghnaimat stood on the roof saying "I'm going to shoot you, nobody can kill me, I can do what I want" and refused requests to come down. He ripped tiles off the tops of houses and threw them towards the pavement where people and vehicles were parked. An Audi, Range Rover, and BMW were damaged by the flying slates.
One tile struck a student who had initially gone outside upon hearing the disturbance but was told by police to retreat indoors. She was sitting on her bed when she felt something heavy hit her head and saw shards of glass falling from above. She had a panic attack because of this and her head was hurting a lot.
Further Offences While on Bail
Ghnaimat was eventually persuaded down, arrested, and taken to hospital but made 'inappropriate comments' to a female officer. After being bailed, he stole £16.50-worth of drinks from a supermarket on March 21. He was arrested and brought before court, which granted him bail once more.
On March 23, at a Nisa Local in Digbeth, he asked whether a sandwich was halal before threatening staff with "I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill your family". He grabbed a bottle, remained aggressive, and smashed numerous items. Staff locked him in the shop but that seemed to make him more irritated and angry, so they unlocked the door and let him out.
Officers located him across the road, and as they attempted to arrest him, he headbutted one constable in the chest. He was granted bail again by the magistrates' court, but a day later police encountered him leaping on a Mercedes in Selly Oak. He warned "I'm going to stab you" before approaching a female officer, causing them both to tumble into shop shutters. He shoved her backwards, seized her by the throat, and struck out again as her colleague intervened. He was eventually restrained while topless.
Court Sentencing and Deportation
Ghnaimat admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing cannabis, seven charges of criminal damage, three counts of threatening behaviour, two offences of theft, and three charges of assaulting an emergency worker. He committed all the crimes while on either licence or post-sentence supervision following a conviction for burglary in 2025.
Recorder Charles Foster described his offending as a 'depressing spree of criminality', declaring: "You are immune to rehabilitation. I gain no real assurance you are capable of rehabilitation from the pre sentence report." The court heard the Home Office planned to deport the Jordanian national. Ghnaimat has already served six months in custody on remand. His barrister, Sami Jan, said the pre-sentence report identified substance misuse and poor impulse control, and that Ghnaimat's girlfriend is pregnant, giving him additional incentives to change his behaviour.
