Life for knifeman who cut driver’s throat

James Brabbs changed his plea to guilty during the second week of his trial for killing Mohammed Saleem Khan, in Easingwold, in September last year.

The victim, who had been dropping off shower products in the area, suffered a single stab wound to the throat as Brabbs, 27, tried to steal from him.

Brabbs then fled and Mr Khan was able to get back into his van and drive off.

But he was found slumped in the driver’s seat of his white Ford Transit with life-threatening injuries minutes later by an off-duty police officer, having crashed into bollards. He was rushed to York District Hospital but died later that day.

The trial jury at Teesside Crown Court heard that Mr Khan, 36, from Luton, was in Easingwold after making a delivery in Leyburn, near Richmond.

After visiting a pub and a Chinese takeaway, he started talking to three local women before driving them to the Horseshoe pub in the hope of getting a late drink.

The pub was closed but Mr Khan then started talking to Brabbs in the car park before driving to another pub, the New Inn, with him and the women.

At around 2am the barmaid from the Horseshoe heard what she described as a man screaming in obvious pain.

As she went outside to investigate further, she saw Mr Khan’s van drive off. As it pulled away she saw Brabbs on the other side of the road, disappearing into an alleyway.

A short time later Mr Khan’s van crashed as he lost consciousness. He was found slumped behind the steering wheel and it was initially thought his injuries were due to the crash.

After admitting murder a week into his trial, Brabbs, from Easingwold, must serve a minimum of 29-and-a-half years before he can be considered for parole.

The court heard his previous convictions included robbery, criminal damage, possessing cannabis and carrying weapons.

Sentencing Brabbs, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, said: “I conclude that you are a thoroughly dangerous individual. Mr Khan was going about his normal business on September 22 when you killed him. He was then 36 years old and he had lived in this country for eight years. He had a good job and he was a family man.

“On September 22 the town of Easingwold was busy, many of the people were drinking and celebrating a landlord’s birthday.

“You came across Mr Khan and believed he had money and you also believed he had a significant quantity of cannabis so you decided to rob him of both.”

The judge said Brabbs armed himself with a knife and when he discovered that Mr Kahn had neither the money nor the drugs he stabbed him.

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Superintendent Heather Pearson, of North Yorkshire Police, described the murder as a “brutal and unprovoked attack”.

“Brabbs has given no reasonable explanation for his actions on the night he stabbed Mr Khan in the neck,” she said.

“The sentence handed down is the least Brabbs deserves. I hope Mr Khan’s family can take some comfort in the knowledge that justice has been done.

“This was a difficult investigation given the initial circumstances in which Mr Khan was found, and I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the enquiries into this case and helped to bring it to a successful conclusion.”

Tim Roberts, defending, had told the court it was over the weekend that Brabbs had decided to change his plea as he could not continue with his “sham” defence.

“James Brabbs asks that he offers in public his apology to the family of Mr Khan for the atrocious act that he committed,” Mr Roberts said.

“He changed his instructions to his legal team because he could not face going into the witness box and telling lies about what happened.”