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Man who murdered uncle and hid body in Batley bank jailed | Man who murdered uncle and hid body in Batley bank jailed |
(32 minutes later) | |
Tahir Syed was found guilty of murder, conspiracy to kidnap and drugs conspiracy offences | Tahir Syed was found guilty of murder, conspiracy to kidnap and drugs conspiracy offences |
A drug dealer who kidnapped and murdered his uncle before hiding his body in a bank vault has been jailed for more than 34 years. | A drug dealer who kidnapped and murdered his uncle before hiding his body in a bank vault has been jailed for more than 34 years. |
Asghar Badshah, a 39-year-old bus driver from Bradford, was taken to a disused bank on Commercial Street in Batley by his nephew, Tahir Syed, on 30 November 2019 over a missing sum of money, Leeds Crown Court heard. | Asghar Badshah, a 39-year-old bus driver from Bradford, was taken to a disused bank on Commercial Street in Batley by his nephew, Tahir Syed, on 30 November 2019 over a missing sum of money, Leeds Crown Court heard. |
Mr Badshah was beaten to death and his body was found behind a false wall in a vault four weeks later. | Mr Badshah was beaten to death and his body was found behind a false wall in a vault four weeks later. |
Syed, 42, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murder, conspiracy to kidnap and drugs conspiracy offences on Monday and sentenced at the same court earlier. | Syed, 42, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murder, conspiracy to kidnap and drugs conspiracy offences on Monday and sentenced at the same court earlier. |
Syed stored the body of his uncle in a vault of a disused bank | Syed stored the body of his uncle in a vault of a disused bank |
Syed and his associates had imported tonnes of cocaine and heroin to the UK in more than 30 shipments between 2016 to 2021, the court heard. | Syed and his associates had imported tonnes of cocaine and heroin to the UK in more than 30 shipments between 2016 to 2021, the court heard. |
Judge Thomas Bayliss KC said Mr Badshah had been asked to "hide a large amount of cash" by Syed, who then suspected Mr Badshah of stealing £600,000 from him. | Judge Thomas Bayliss KC said Mr Badshah had been asked to "hide a large amount of cash" by Syed, who then suspected Mr Badshah of stealing £600,000 from him. |
The court was told how Mr Badshah was kidnapped from his mother's address in Mayo Road, Bradford, in a Mercedes at around 01:35 GMT on the day of the murder and taken to the bank, where he was beaten with a metal rod. | The court was told how Mr Badshah was kidnapped from his mother's address in Mayo Road, Bradford, in a Mercedes at around 01:35 GMT on the day of the murder and taken to the bank, where he was beaten with a metal rod. |
Syed lied to his family, the court heard, telling them that his uncle was still alive, knowing that in reality his naked body had been stored in the disused bank. | Syed lied to his family, the court heard, telling them that his uncle was still alive, knowing that in reality his naked body had been stored in the disused bank. |
He then fled the country to the Netherlands, Albania and Iran before he was detained on 11 November 2021 in Turkey and brought back to the UK to stand trial. | |
Asghar Badshah was known to his passengers as the singing bus man, the judge said | |
The court heard in a statement from Mr Badshah's wife, Nasra Bibi Shah, that he had been looking forward to becoming a father. | |
"They say time is a great healer," Mrs Shah said. | |
"It has been over five years since my beloved husband, my soulmate, was brutally taken away from me." | |
Mrs Shah described her husband's murder as "a cruel and senseless act" and said shortly before his death, he had bought baby clothes after they received positive news regarding IVF. | |
"We had dreams to have children, to watch them grow," she said. | |
The court was told that Mrs Shah gave birth via IVF to Mr Badshah's son five years after his death. | |
She said that dressing her son in the clothes her husband had bought "was one of the most heart-breaking moments of my life". | |
'Evil and selfish' | |
Speaking in court, Mr Badshah's twin brother, Akbar Badshah, said: "Tahir's evil and selfish actions led to the murder of my beloved brother. | |
"Not knowing where my brother was, the silence, the unanswered questions, was an agony no-one should ever have to endure." | |
He said: "Asghar was cherished not just by me, but by everyone who knew him." | |
He also added that Syed denied Mr Badshah the Islamic ritual of washing the body of the deceased and burying them within three days. | |
Mr Badshah's brother described it as "a sin against humanity and faith". | |
Also read out in court were the words of Nazir Fatima, Mr Badshah's late mother. | |
She said it made her "physically sick" to think about what her son endured at the hands of Syed. | |
She spoke of her close relationship with her son, how she missed him and how she longed for her own death so she could be reunited with him. | |
"I just want to hold him again and never let go," the court heard. | |
Syed had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess criminal money. | Syed had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess criminal money. |
He was jailed for a minimum term of 34 years and 153 days, taking into account almost four years already spent behind bars since being extradited from Turkey. | |
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. | Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. |
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