TWO more men have been found guilty of murdering 23-year-old DPD delivery driver, Aurman Singh, in Shrewsbury nearly two years ago.
Mehakdeep Singh, 24, and Sehajpal Singh, 26, both formerly of Tipton, were convicted at Stafford crown court last Monday (31) following a three-week trial.
According to the police, an attack on Singh occurred in broad daylight on August 21, 2023, as he made deliveries in Berwick Avenue in Coton Hill area. He was brutally assaulted, with multiple weapons including an axe, golf club and piece of wood, suffering fatal injuries.
Gang members tracked Aurman on his delivery route before launching their calculated attack, the court heard. After committing the murder, both men fled in a white Mercedes Benz, which they later abandoned on Kynaston Road in Shrewsbury.
The fleeing suspects then called a taxi to Shrewsbury Railway Station before taking a train to Wolverhampton. Days later, they left the country, evading authorities until their capture nearly nine months after the murder.
An investigation by West Mercia Police led them to Austria, where both men were arrested on May 20, 2024, at an address in Hohenzell. Following extradition, they stood trial and now await sentencing scheduled for Friday (11) at Stafford Crown Court.
Detective chief inspector Mark Bellamy, who led investigation, said, “The attack on Aurman almost two years ago was violent and calculated. Sehjapal and Mekahdeep, along with six other men carried out this attack in broad daylight on a quiet Shropshire street with only one intention – to kill him.”
He added: “They used inside information to get hold of Aurman’s delivery route, where they lay in wait for him, before using an arsenal of weapons against him knowing he was defenceless.”
The investigation involved police forces across multiple countries.
Aurman Singh
The latest convictions bring the total number of people found guilty in connection with murder to seven.
Previous convictions last year saw four men – Arshdeep Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Shivdeep Singh and Manjot Singh – each sentenced to 28 years’ imprisonment for murder.
A fifth man, Sukhmandeep Singh, described as “inside man” who supplied the victim’s delivery route information to attackers, received a 10-year sentence after being convicted of manslaughter rather than murder.
Prosecutors said during the trial that the precise motive behind fatal attack remains unclear.
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.