Family of murdered shopkeeper to urge protection for retailers

Family members are set to travel to London to lobby the Government over the next few weeks.

News of the action came as members of Mr Singh’s Huddersfield community gathered to remember the beloved shopkeeper, a year on from his brutal murder.

His son Jas Singh Hayre, 36, has recently returned from India, where he went with his nephew, 12-year-old Amandeep, and his uncle, Ajit Hayre, to scatter his father’s ashes.

“We still feel cheated,” he said. “What those people did was unforgivable. They had no reason, as normal ordinary people, to attack somebody with so much ferocity. They chose to hit him nine times. It wasn’t an accident they hit him so many times to ensure he didn’t get up. For me the hatred will always remain.”

Mr Singh, 63, was working alone at his corner shop in Cowcliffe when a gang burst in on February 20 last year. He was attacked when he refused to hand over cash and cigarettes.

Customers from the Shepherd’s Arms pub opposite ran over and tried to get in to stop the assault, but the gang escaped, taking cash, sweets and cigarettes.

Muawaz Khalid, 20, and Nabeel Shafi, 18, were jailed for a minimum of 21 years and 20 years respectively after being convicted of his murder last year.

Three other men who were acquitted of murder were jailed for their parts in the incident.

Shortly after the trial, Mr Singh’s wife, Mohinder Kaur, 66, lost her battle with cancer.

Hundreds of people remembered Mr Singh with 48 hours of prayer at the Sikh Temple in Springwood, Huddersfield, over the weekend.

Sikh Temple secretary Inderpal Randhawa said Mr Singh was still missed.