Trio jailed for 40 years for killing of Birmingham businessman

THREE men have been jailed for almost 40 years for their involvement in an armed robbery that led to the death of a Birmingham businessman outside his Digbeth firm.

Suraj Mistry, 26, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Akhtar Javeed and sentenced to 23 years in prison. He was also sentenced to 20 years for conspiracy to commit robbery and eight years for possession of firearms, both to run concurrently.

Lamar Wali, 19, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Sander van Aalten, who was an accomplice in the planning of the killing, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and was sentenced to six years and eight months.

Mistry and Wali together with Tahir Zarif travelled from Derby to raid Direct Source 3 on Rea Street in Digbeth in February this year.

But the raid went tragically wrong as they threatened the manager, Mr Javeed to give up the company’s takings. While Mistry held staff hostage at gunpoint Zarif led Mr Javeed from the office into the reception where he shot him in the leg as a violent warning to open the safe.

After being shot Mr Javeed, aged 56, attempted to escape and during the ensuing struggle was shot a further two times at point blank range in the mouth and neck. He still managed to escape before stumbling across the car park to the pavement where he collapsed and died in a pool of his own blood.

The men immediately fled the scene in a Renault Megane, picked up a second car nearby and then returned to Derby.

Birmingham Crown Court heard detectives investigating the killing trawled CCTV to piece together the sequence of events in the hours before and after the robbery, corroborating the images with mobile phone data and ANPR captures.

The jury in the trial of the three men heard how Sander van Aalten, a Dutch national − a former disgruntled employee at Direct Source 3 – drew a plan of the warehouse for his co-conspirators so they knew exactly where to go once inside.

The evidence showed that he was in contact with the offenders as they carried out reconnaissance of the warehouse in the days before the attack and used a premises he was working at as a meeting point just before and immediately after the botched robbery.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Slevin, who led the investigation, said: “The sentences handed down reflect the severity and the part played by each individual in the planning and execution of this offence.

“This was a violent attack where the offenders – armed with loaded guns – bound staff with cable ties and were held by Mistry. His accomplice threatened Mr Javeed to open the safe and when he refused he was shot in the leg.

When he attempted to escape he was shot in the face and chest causing horrific injuries which led to his death moments later.

“The sickening offence, which led to the loss of a loved and respected husband, father, brother and grandfather, was motivated by greed.”

The court heard that the man who is thought to have fired the fatal shots was Tahir Zarif, who fled the country to Pakistan days after the offence.

Police are still trying to trace him so he can be returned to the UK.

Speaking at the conviction, Mr Javeed’s daughter, Lilas, said: “I do not want us to forget that there is still one outstanding perpetrator on the run, as it stands, literally getting away with murder. I have faith that the justice system will do its best to bring him back and bring him to justice. I would be saddened to think he has got away with it as what message would that give to society?”

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