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| Aamir Siddiqi murder: killers jailed for stabbing teenager by mistake | Aamir Siddiqi murder: killers jailed for stabbing teenager by mistake |
| (30 days later) | |
| Two hitmen who stabbed an innocent schoolboy to death by mistake in a "callous and cruel" attack have been told they will spend at least 40 years each in prison before being eligible for parole. | Two hitmen who stabbed an innocent schoolboy to death by mistake in a "callous and cruel" attack have been told they will spend at least 40 years each in prison before being eligible for parole. |
| Sentencing Ben Hope and Jason Roberts, Mr Justice Royce said few people would shed a tear if the pair died in jail for the murder of talented 17-year-old Aamir Siddiqi. | Sentencing Ben Hope and Jason Roberts, Mr Justice Royce said few people would shed a tear if the pair died in jail for the murder of talented 17-year-old Aamir Siddiqi. |
| Hope, 39, and Richards, 38, from Cardiff, had each been paid £1,000 in "blood money" to murder a middle-aged family man who had fallen out with a local businessman over a property deal. | Hope, 39, and Richards, 38, from Cardiff, had each been paid £1,000 in "blood money" to murder a middle-aged family man who had fallen out with a local businessman over a property deal. |
| But the balaclava-clad killers, who had taken heroin, went to the wrong address in the Welsh capital and murdered Aamir in front of his helpless parents. | But the balaclava-clad killers, who had taken heroin, went to the wrong address in the Welsh capital and murdered Aamir in front of his helpless parents. |
| The judge said Aamir was a "bright, gentle and courteous boy who was much loved by his family", who had a future "brimming with promise" as a law student. | The judge said Aamir was a "bright, gentle and courteous boy who was much loved by his family", who had a future "brimming with promise" as a law student. |
| He told Hope and Richards: "You two came in, wearing balaclavas and making a terrible wailing sound. Your attack on him was brutal, savage, callous and cruel. You hacked him to death in front of his parents, who fought in vain to save Aamir. | He told Hope and Richards: "You two came in, wearing balaclavas and making a terrible wailing sound. Your attack on him was brutal, savage, callous and cruel. You hacked him to death in front of his parents, who fought in vain to save Aamir. |
| "It was simply good fortune that they were not killed. It was your intention that they should die too. If you die in jail, few will shed a tear and many will say it will be more than deserved." | "It was simply good fortune that they were not killed. It was your intention that they should die too. If you die in jail, few will shed a tear and many will say it will be more than deserved." |
| The judge said the pair had been paid a "pittance" for the killing and added that their desire to get their "blood money" reflected a warped philosophy on life. | The judge said the pair had been paid a "pittance" for the killing and added that their desire to get their "blood money" reflected a warped philosophy on life. |
| He listed aggravating features which proved why the case's seriousness was "exceptionally high" – the murder of a child, the murder of a child in front of his parents, the two attempted murders, the fact a great deal of premeditation had gone into the killing, and both defendants' previous long list of convictions for violence. | He listed aggravating features which proved why the case's seriousness was "exceptionally high" – the murder of a child, the murder of a child in front of his parents, the two attempted murders, the fact a great deal of premeditation had gone into the killing, and both defendants' previous long list of convictions for violence. |
| Royce read brief excerpts of a victim impact statement from Aamir's parents. It said every inch of his mother's body ached with grief and how she and her husband are now afraid to answer to the front door because of what happened in April 2010. | Royce read brief excerpts of a victim impact statement from Aamir's parents. It said every inch of his mother's body ached with grief and how she and her husband are now afraid to answer to the front door because of what happened in April 2010. |
| The statement also detailed the sadness of the couple having to sell their once-cherished family home and move away from Cardiff due to the painful daily memories the city holds. | The statement also detailed the sadness of the couple having to sell their once-cherished family home and move away from Cardiff due to the painful daily memories the city holds. |
| Royce said Aamir's parents had the terrible sight of their son being hacked to death by Hope and Richards "etched on to their memories". | Royce said Aamir's parents had the terrible sight of their son being hacked to death by Hope and Richards "etched on to their memories". |
| After sentencing, Umbareen Siddiqi, Aamir's sister, said: "On behalf of the family, we're delighted. We feel this sentence is appropriate. Our brother won't return to us but this will go some way to achieving peace for all of us." | After sentencing, Umbareen Siddiqi, Aamir's sister, said: "On behalf of the family, we're delighted. We feel this sentence is appropriate. Our brother won't return to us but this will go some way to achieving peace for all of us." |
| During their trial at Swansea crown court, the jury was told Hope and Richards had been paid by a businessman angry over a collapsed property deal to kill a father-of-four who lived in a neighbouring street. | During their trial at Swansea crown court, the jury was told Hope and Richards had been paid by a businessman angry over a collapsed property deal to kill a father-of-four who lived in a neighbouring street. |
| But they went instead to a similar-looking red-brick, end-of-row house around the corner in Ninian Road in the Cardiff suburb of Roath. | But they went instead to a similar-looking red-brick, end-of-row house around the corner in Ninian Road in the Cardiff suburb of Roath. |
| Aamir had run down the stairs to answer the door expecting to see his imam, who was due to give him a Qur'an lesson. Instead, he opened the front door to two masked killers. | Aamir had run down the stairs to answer the door expecting to see his imam, who was due to give him a Qur'an lesson. Instead, he opened the front door to two masked killers. |
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