Robbery pair jailed for life over shop murder

Gurmail Singh was attacked for just a few pounds and some sweets, alcohol and cigarettes at his shop in Huddersfield in February.

When the 63-year-old fought back, the men grabbed bottles of wine off the shelves and repeatedly smashed them over his head.

Muawaz Khalid, 20, who has a previous conviction for affray, was told he must spend at least 21 years in prison by a judge at Bradford Crown Court.

Nabeel Shafi, 18, who angrily shouted his innocence as he was led from the dock, was given a 20-year minimum term.

The pair were among five Huddersfield men sentenced for the bungled robbery, which happened just 48 hours after Mr Singh, a grandfather of 18, was punched by two masked youths in an unconnected raid at the Cowcliffe Convenience Stores, and the day after his birthday.

The judge said yesterday: "This was a most violent and sickening attack by at least two of you on a lone shopkeeper late at night. It is to be regretted that no defendant at any time during the eight-week trial showed the slightest remorse."

The judge said Mr Singh's skull had been shattered into "little pieces" by the force of the blows. "One blow would have disabled him, seven blows took his life away.

"There may have been mental or physical suffering inflicted on the victim before death, in the sense this was a sickeningly violent and unnecessarily savage assault on a man in his 60s."

He told Shafi: "It was alarming to hear your evidence – you said you enjoyed robbery, the excitement that was involved."

The trial had heard how members of the public had rushed to the shopkeeper's aid and despite efforts to trap two members of the gang inside the store, they escaped through the back.

Mr Singh had come to England from India in 1963 and raised his family in Huddersfield. He bought the Cowcliffe shop about five years ago and was a well liked member of the local community.

After the trial, Mr Singh's family revealed the Prince of Wales had written a letter to his widow expressing his sympathy, saying "This country can ill afford to lose such a special person."

Khalid, of Blackmoorfoot Road, and Shafi, of Park Hill, were found guilty of murder by a jury last month. Three other men, also from Huddersfield, were cleared of killing Mr Singh but were convicted of other offences in relation to the attack.

The jury convicted Khalid and Umare Aslam, 20, of Coniston Avenue, of robbery. Aslam was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Shafi and Rehman Afzal, 18, of Jacinth Court, pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing to robbing Mr Singh. Afzal was jailed for five years and four months.

Shoaib Khan, 18, of Calton Street, who was released from custody for assault 20 days before the attack, was cleared of murder and robbery but admitted assisting an offender.

He was handed an eight-month prison sentence but will be released because of time already served on remand.

Following their convictions last month, Mr Singh's youngest son, Jas Hayre had broken his silence over the family's anguish and said: "Each day is a nightmare, praying that it is all a dream, knowing that it is a reality.

"We have sat through the trial from beginning and when listening to those accused I see no remorse from them whatsoever."

He said family members were forced to hide their feelings and thoughts from their children "hoping they will never feel the hatred and revulsion towards the persons responsible".