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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Men jailed for taxi driver murder | Men jailed for taxi driver murder |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Four teenagers have been jailed for the racially-aggravated murder of an Asian taxi driver in West Yorkshire. | Four teenagers have been jailed for the racially-aggravated murder of an Asian taxi driver in West Yorkshire. |
| Father-of-three Mohammad Parvaiz, 41, was beaten to death by a gang near Huddersfield in July last year. | Father-of-three Mohammad Parvaiz, 41, was beaten to death by a gang near Huddersfield in July last year. |
| Christopher Murphy and Michael Hand, both aged 19, were given minimum jail terms of 25 and 21 years by judge Dame Heather Steel at Leeds Crown Court. | Christopher Murphy and Michael Hand, both aged 19, were given minimum jail terms of 25 and 21 years by judge Dame Heather Steel at Leeds Crown Court. |
| Graeme Slavin, 18, and Steven Utley, 17, were sentenced to 17 years behind bars for their part in the attack. | Graeme Slavin, 18, and Steven Utley, 17, were sentenced to 17 years behind bars for their part in the attack. |
| Michael Beeby, 16, and Jason Harris, 17, were cleared of murder last month but convicted of violent disorder. | Michael Beeby, 16, and Jason Harris, 17, were cleared of murder last month but convicted of violent disorder. |
| Dragged from car | Dragged from car |
| Beeby, of Sigott Street, Longwood, received a 10-month detention and training order. | Beeby, of Sigott Street, Longwood, received a 10-month detention and training order. |
| Harris, of Royles Head Lane, Longwood, Huddersfield, received an eight-month detention and training order. | Harris, of Royles Head Lane, Longwood, Huddersfield, received an eight-month detention and training order. |
| Judge Steel said it was a joint attack in which they all took part, but Hand and Murphy were the ringleaders - whereas Utley and Slavin played a lesser part. | Judge Steel said it was a joint attack in which they all took part, but Hand and Murphy were the ringleaders - whereas Utley and Slavin played a lesser part. |
| She said: "Mr Parvaiz sustained a serious head wound, from which he was bleeding profusely when he was attacked from the driver's side and dragged out to be kicked and beaten to death. | She said: "Mr Parvaiz sustained a serious head wound, from which he was bleeding profusely when he was attacked from the driver's side and dragged out to be kicked and beaten to death. |
| Mohammad Parvaiz died in hospital from his injuries | Mohammad Parvaiz died in hospital from his injuries |
| "Violence on this scale is savage beyond belief. | "Violence on this scale is savage beyond belief. |
| "It is not difficult to imagine the terror that Mr Parvaiz must have experienced as he lay dying on the road," she added. | "It is not difficult to imagine the terror that Mr Parvaiz must have experienced as he lay dying on the road," she added. |
| She added that it was not just the lives of Mr Parvaiz's family that had been "completely devastated" but also their own and their families'. | She added that it was not just the lives of Mr Parvaiz's family that had been "completely devastated" but also their own and their families'. |
| Dame Steel said the court had heard "lies", "half truths" and "some of the truth" from Murphy, Utley and Slavin when they took the stand during the trial. | Dame Steel said the court had heard "lies", "half truths" and "some of the truth" from Murphy, Utley and Slavin when they took the stand during the trial. |
| "Some parts of the evidence will never be explained," she said. | "Some parts of the evidence will never be explained," she said. |
| 'Utterly mindless' | |
| After the sentencing, Det Supt Tim Forber, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "I don't think I've ever come across anything so utterly mindless. | After the sentencing, Det Supt Tim Forber, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "I don't think I've ever come across anything so utterly mindless. |
| "This just wasn't an ordinary event. It wasn't typical of the ordinary type of issues that taxi drivers face. This was a premeditated plan, it was a savage attack. | "This just wasn't an ordinary event. It wasn't typical of the ordinary type of issues that taxi drivers face. This was a premeditated plan, it was a savage attack. |
| "As far as Mr Parvaiz's family are concerned, the length of the sentences, it's not going to bring him back. The pain still goes on and it always will." | "As far as Mr Parvaiz's family are concerned, the length of the sentences, it's not going to bring him back. The pain still goes on and it always will." |
| Mr Parvaiz's wife, Naheed Kausar, 33, attended almost every day of the trial. | |
| Speaking outside court, her brother Mohammed Ramzan said: "We are very happy with the result. Justice has been served. | |
| "People have been sentenced according to the evidence. We believe the truth has come out." |