Two More Convictions In Aurman Singh Murder Case

Jurors at Stafford Crown Court have unanimously convicted Mehakdeep Singh, 24, and Sehajpal Singh, 36 for their roles in the brutal murder of 23‐year‐old DPD driver Aurman Singh on August 21, 2023. 5 men have already been jailed for the killing.

The defendants, who had fled the UK and were later apprehended in Austria, now face life imprisonment pending sentencing on April 11.

Aurman Singh was ambushed during his delivery round on Berwick Avenue, Shrewsbury by an armed gang that arrived in two cars – a black Audi and a white Mercedes. According to court testimony, after executing the attack, the vehicles sped off from the scene. The attackers used a range of weapons – including an axe, hockey stick, shovel, wooden stave, and metal bar – to inflict fatal injuries in a savage, almost instantaneous assault. In a harrowing account, it was revealed that Singh’s head was repeatedly hacked with an axe, fracturing his skull and exposing his brain to local residents who rushed to offer aid.

Armed police managed to hunt down the black Audi, arresting the four men inside who, along with an inside man who provided crucial information on how to ambush the victim, received a combined sentence of over 120 years in prison.

However, the men in the white Mercedes initially escaped – with two of them now being convicted in the recent trial.

The trial, building on evidence from previous proceedings that saw four other men convicted for their involvement in Singh’s murder, left jurors grappling with the graphic and distressing details. Judge Simon Hirst acknowledged the toll the testimony had taken on the jury, remarking that they had effectively served a lifetime’s jury service given the severity of the evidence presented and would never be required to sit on a jury again. “The law is a matter for me, the facts are a matter for you,” he said, adding that while the sentence will be one of life imprisonment, he must now decide the minimum period before the Parole Board can consider release.

ACCESS TO THE LAW: Understanding the Crime and Sentencing

As part of our campaign to improve citizens’ access and understanding of UK Criminal law, we will be explaining the relevant UK legislation surrounding any case law relevant to our articles:

WHAT IS THE BAR FOR A MURDER CONVICTION?

In the recent case of Aurman Singh’s murder, two defendants argued that while they planned to be involved in the attack, they did not intend to seriously harm or kill, nor did they encourage the fatal assault. While the judge rejected those claims, this invites an important legal question: What is the bar for a murder conviction?

Under English law, to secure a conviction for murder, the prosecution must prove two key elements beyond reasonable doubt:

1. Actus Reus (Guilty Act): The defendant unlawfully caused the death of another person.

2. Mens Rea (Guilty Mind): The defendant had the intention to kill or cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Importantly, intention can be either direct (where the defendant’s purpose was to kill or cause serious injury) or oblique (where death or serious harm was a virtually certain consequence of their actions, and the defendant appreciated that fact).

When multiple individuals are involved, the concept of joint enterprise may apply. If the prosecution can demonstrate that the defendants participated in a plan that involved the use of lethal violence, they may be found guilty even if they did not personally strike the fatal blow. Encouraging or assisting the crime, knowing it was likely to result in death or serious harm, meets the bar for liability.

In this case, the jury found that both defendants were part of a planned, armed attack where the use of deadly weapons made serious injury or death highly foreseeable, leading to their conviction for murder.

Well, that’s all for now. But until our next article, please stay tuned, stay informed, but most of all stay safe, and I’ll see you then.