http://www.panthic.org/news/124/ARTICLE/1516/2005-07-10.html?sid=b593fe491022386a1e6e6c61549ff4ef

Muslims Sentenced For Religion Bias Killing
Sunday 10th July, 2005
Fauja Singh - Panthic Weekly Staff

London, UK (KP) - Two Muslim men were jailed for life for killing of an innocent Sikh man wrongly targeted because they did not like relationship between another Sikh man and a Muslim women.

Major Singh Gill was murdered in cold blood at his shop in the West Midlands, after being attacked by six Muslims. This week his to murderers received prison sentences. Shimraz Kahn, 35, got a minimum of 18 years Waheed Akhtar, 22, was given 15 years.

Stafford Crown Court heard how Mr Gill was killed by the two Muslim men, Shimraz Kahn and Waheed Akhtar, who believed Mr Gill's son to be having a relationship with a young Muslim woman.

Two others were found not guilty. It is believed two other suspects fled to Pakistan. The court heard how Mr Gill, 45, a Sikh and father of three was attacked in his shop in West Bromwich by six men. Mr Gill, of Duke Street, Wednesfield, died in the hospital of head injuries sustained during the attack at his Cost Cutter shop on Pemberton Road.

Prosecutor Anthony Barker, QC said Mr Gill was the victim of a deliberate and planned killing. He described how this was a planned attack on this innocent Sikh business man. "Some men had clubs, iron bars and hockey sticks and inside his shop the shopkeeper was clubbed to death," he said. "Yet the people who killed him had set out to kill someone else. They killed a perfectly innocent man who had done absolutely nothing."

He said the story behind the killing was complicated but involved the relationship of a Sikh man and a Muslim woman. It is thought that the groups of Muslim men did not like the fact a Sikh man having a relationship with a Muslim woman secretly for over a year.

Mr Akhtar, of Essex Street, Walsall, who was given 15 years, had claimed he was sitting in a van outside the store when the attack happened. Mr Kahn gave his address as Bloxwich Road, Walsall.

Two other accused, Fiaz Ali, 30, of Croft Street, Walsall and Raja Hussain, 24, of Bloxwich Road, Walsall were cleared of the attack.