Pair guilty of shopkeeper murder

Gurmail Singh, 63, was attacked for just a few pounds, some sweets, alcohol and cigarettes during a bungled raid at his shop in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in February.

Muawaz Khalid, 20, and Nabeel Shafi, 18, battered the shopkeeper to death with repeated blows to the head using wine bottles and fled the scene despite attempts by members of the public to restrain them.

The two men were convicted after three days of deliberations by the jury following a six-week trial at Bradford Crown Court.

Three other defendants, Umare Aslam, 20, Rehman Afzal, 18, and Shoaib Khan, 18, were cleared of murder.

This country can ill-afford to lose such special people. Prince Charles

Khalid and Aslam were convicted of robbery, while Khan was cleared of the charge. Afzal and Shafi pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to robbing Mr Singh. Khan, who was released from custody 20 days before the robbery after serving a sentence for assault, admitted a charge of assisting an offender.

All five men were remanded in custody until November 16 by Mr Justice Henriques when they will be sentenced.

As they left the dock the judge praised the courage of the bystanders that day, whose actions, he said, contrasted sharply with those of the defendants.

‘Respected by his community’
After the convictions Detective Superintendent David Pervin, of West Yorkshire Police, paid tribute to the victim.

“Gurmail Singh was a very good man. He was extremely hard working, well liked, well respected by all of his village community,” he said.

“He died protecting what he had worked so very hard for, but he never stood a chance.”

He added: “Gurmail Singh helped everyone that he came into contact with. He had no enemies, just friends, and he did not deserve to die.

The detective said he had “every respect” for the family of Mr Singh, who had conducted themselves with the “utmost dignity and restraint” throughout the trial.

‘Devastated’ family
The family of Mr Singh today said they had been left “devastated” by the killing.

Mr Singh’s son Jas said his family were relieved the trial was over and two men had been convicted of murder.

He revealed that the Prince of Wales had written a letter to the family expressing his sympathy. He said Charles had sent a letter to his mother after the murder, saying: “This country can ill-afford to lose such special people”.

We miss our father’s, patience, support, calmness, warmth, strength and love. Jas Singh

In a statement, Jas Singh said: “My mother has been completely devastated by the murder of her husband. Since he was killed her health has deteriorated vastly and it is sad to see her without her loving and caring husband beside her at this difficult time.

“It is my father’s words we miss the most, words like, ‘work hard, be honest in your endeavours, show respect and good manners to everyone you meet, help all those you can, take care of your family, think carefully of consequences before you make decisions and never be afraid of standing up for your morals or principles’.

“We miss our father’s, patience, support, calmness, warmth, strength and love. He showed all of these characteristics every day of his life.

“To his brothers and sisters, my father was a constant source of strength, respect and wisdom. They knew he could be relied on in every situation, no matter how difficult. Their loss is grave and will be for the rest of their lives.

He added: “We have had so much support from the people of Cowcliffe, who accepted my father and our family into the area.

“He was treated as a friend by all his customers and many are still affected that such a crime has been committed to an honest and hardworking family man.”

He also praised members of the public for trying to help at the time and during the trial. He said the family were grateful for the professionalism of the police and the support they received “in a caring and effective manner”.