London: A gang of Indian-origin men in their twenties were sentenced to a total of 122 years in prison on Friday after they were found guilty of murdering a 23-year-old delivery driver, also of Indian heritage. The driver was identified as Aurman Singh, who succumbed to an attack in the Berwick Avenue area of Shrewsbury, western England, in August last year.

Arshdeep Singh, 24, Jagdeep Singh, 23, Shivdeep Singh, 27, and Manjot Singh, 24, were arrested by the local West Garcia police and found guilty of murder with weapons including an axe, hockey stick and shovel. They were each sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 28 years behind bars. A fifth Indian-origin man, Sukhmandeep Singh, 24, believed to be the “inside man” who sent information about Aurman’s deliveries, received a 10-year sentence for manslaughter.

“I am pleased that significant sentences have been handed to these men for the brutal murder of Aurman Singh. These five men are dangerous individuals who will now serve a considerable sentence in prison where they cannot cause further harm to the wider public,” said Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Mark Bellamy of West Mercia Police, who led the murder investigation.

“Aurman’s family have understandably been left shattered when he was tragically killed in a planned and brutal attack in Shrewsbury, and my thoughts and condolences remain with them. Today’s sentence should send a strong message to those who think they can come into our towns and cities to commit violent crime that we will not stop in our efforts to find them and put them before the courts,” he added.

A ‘public execution’ of the victim

Judge Kristina Montgomery, who presided over the sentencing of the perpetrators at the Stafford Crown Court, described the case as a “very public execution” in which Aurman had been left to die at the side of the road. The five men were convicted last month at the end of a six-week trial at the same court. Montgomery also told the court that Aurman’s murder had been an “act of horrifying brutality”, reported The Mirror.

The weapons had been “carefully curated” to cause the maximum damage when “wielded with fervent aggression”, the judge said. “Between them they had an axe, golf club, wooden stave, metal club, hockey stick, shovel and a knife. Aurman Singh was felled and attacked by these defendant’s by their weapon of choice. Jagdeep Singh chopped into Aurman Singh’s head three times with the axe. Blows of such ferocity they penetrated his skull. He was clubbed over the head by Arshdeep Singh with the golf club and with such force that it fractured his skull. Manjot Singh struck him his bleeding head with the wooden stave,” she said.

Aurman was pronounced dead 30 minutes after the assault and the four men were arrested as they travelled back to the West Midlands. Dramatic footage of the killers fleeing in their Mercedes Bank and the Audi getaway cars surfaced after the arrest of the gang. “There was a significant degree of planning and premeditation. The evidence showed that Arshdeep Singh was at the centre of what happened but they all played their part,” said prosecutor Simon Denison KC.

What did Aurman’s family say?

Aurman’s family stated that there are no words that could ever explain the impact the tragedy has had on their lives. “Today a mother will grow old without her son. A sister will grow up without her brother. We don’t want what has happened to us to happen to another family,” read a statement issued by the police.

“It is an unbearable loss for us which has changed our lives. My daughter and myself will be living our lives for the sake of it but our happiness and the will to live is not there,” said the victim’s family, thanking the police for supporting the family and conducting the probe diligently. The police described it as a complex investigation which involved forces from across the country.

(with PTI inputs)

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